On Saturday 18 November, the public are invited to take part in a jazz choir with members of the extraordinary London Vocal Project. Previous singing experience is not necessary. However, participants will need lots of enthusiasm and a willingness to try something new.
During the workshop, music is taught ‘by ear’, enabling the singers to focus on sound production and listening skills whilst creating a level platform for all attendees, regardless of their ability to read written notation. Through groove-based harmonies, attendees will learn what they need to sing with one of the UK’s best-known performance jazz choirs, and take part in a performance at St Andrews Street Baptist Church later that day.
This hugely popular workshop is run by Pete Churchill who has been a member of several leading vocal projects and has worked with some of the best jazz singers in the country. He is Professor of Jazz Composition at the Royal Academy of Music in London and runs the jazz choir at Trinity College of Music. Much of Pete’s time is also taken up with directing his own choir ‘The London Vocal Project’, which is rapidly becoming recognised as the leading contemporary jazz-vocal ensemble in the country. In addition to high-profile performances with Cleo Laine, Norma Winstone, Kenny Wheeler and, most recently Bobby McFerrin, this seminal ensemble of young singer/workshop leaders regularly join Pete on his massive educational projects and they are fast gaining a reputation, under his guidance, as the next generation of gifted educators.
The popularity of this Jazz Festival workshop lies in the rehearsal style. Pete explained that singing from a notated score might be a short cut to quick results, but that a key aspect of singing in a choir often gets lost along the way – the sense of ensemble. By taking time to learn the individual parts by ear rather than from a written page, as most choirs outside the Western mainstream do, a real sense of collective performance takes root. It is the same successful method he employs with London Vocal Project.
Supporting The London Vocal Project’s performance, with a few tunes from workshop attendees, is the local community Cambridge Jazz Festival Choir led by musician Andi Hopgood, herself a London Vocal Project member and the outrageously talented a cappella group from Cambridge University, Cadenza, who gave a stunning performance last year alongside their counterparts the Oxford Gargoyles.
On Sunday 26 November, musicians are invited to bring along their own instruments to the Big Band workshop for the opportunity to play alongside director and composer Ben Cottell.
Ben is a composer, educator, bandleader and saxophonist currently based in Manchester and is best known as the musical director of Beats & Pieces Big Band – also playing at the Festival on Saturday 25 November.
As an orchestral arranger, Ben has worked with a diverse range of artists including Laura Mvula, Esperanza Spalding and Goldie, and his arrangements have been performed and recorded by world-renowned orchestras such as the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Metropole Orkest and The Heritage Orchestra. He is a lecturer at the Royal Northern College of Music and Leeds College of Music.
Beats & Pieces Big band is big in the truest sense of the word. These 14 musicians have captured audiences with their own unique sound embracing raw rock energy and refined jazz concepts; pop melodies to sing along to, grooves to shake your body to and primal improv that will shake your soul to its core. Their music is an expression of the band’s members and their varied musical backgrounds and activities – influenced as much by Michael Jackson, Björk and Radiohead as they are by Duke Ellington, Gil Evans or Loose Tubes. One of the most exciting ensembles of its kind anywhere in Europe, Beats & Pieces are the most intriguing bunch of gentlemen to be encountered in a long time.
Orchestral musicians are comparatively spoilt for choice in Cambridge, but opportunities to play in a big band remain limited. For this reason, the Cambridge Jazz Festival founded the Cambridge Groove Orchestra, a fully staffed big band rehearsing and gigging throughout the year in Cambridge. Made up of musicians from a variety of backgrounds and abilities, many of whom attended workshops in the past two years, and under the expert directorship of Mike Denman, the Groove Orchestra will be opening proceedings at this year’s Big Band Bonanza on Sunday 19 November, supporting headliners are the very talented London Gay Big Band. A Big Band Bonanza to celebrate community big bands and 100 years of jazz!
At three years old, and one of the youngest on the block, Cambridge International Jazz Festival packs an increasingly powerful punch. Running from 11-26 November, this year’s event features a galaxy of major international stars, some of the UK’s finest female instrumentalists, emerging and boundary-pushing talent, workshops, tributes and so much more. With backing from major sponsor Brewin Dolphin, the festival hosts over 80 events and workshops in 25 concert halls, university venues, schools, churches, clubs, pubs, bars and bistros all over the city.
If you are a singer or an instrumentalist and fancy joining one of these Festival ensembles, get in touch at [email protected]
More information on other workshops and events can be found from the Festival website: www.cambridgejazzfestival.info