While their line-up of baritone sax, bass guitar and drums is typical of a jazz band, their hard-driving sound is indebted to punk rock and heavy metal and, according to AllMusic, "defies easy categorization".

[1] Zu have collaborated with a wide variety of musicians and been described as "masters at adapting to their guests' musical backgrounds".

[2] Hailing from Ostia (a town near Rome), Zu are an atypical trio consisting of drums, bass, baritone saxophone and electronics.

The band is composed of three members: Luca Mai on baritone saxophone, Massimo Pupillo on bass and Jacopo Battaglia on drums.

Many of the band's albums are billed as collaborations with a guest musician (such as Mike Patton, Buzz Osborne, Mats Gustafsson and Nobukazu Takemura).