Umar Zakaria is a New Zealand jazz bassist originally born in Singapore. Influenced by the musical traditions of his Malay heritage, Umar’s innovative bass playing was featured on the album ‘Gelombunk’ by Malay percussion virtuoso Riduan Zalani in 2018. Umar is also an experienced composer whose music has been heard in the Michael Fowler Centre, the Christchurch Town Hall and on Radio New Zealand. In 2021 the Wellington Jazz Festival premiered his latest massive project, ‘Sun Song Suites’: a 3-hour epic performed across 4 concerts throughout the day.