Doors 7:45 PM, Music 8:30 PM – 2 set(s) of music
Line-up:
Shirley Smart – Cello
Tim Quicke – Trumpet
James Arben – Tenor Saxophone
John Crawford – Piano
Michele Montoli – Double bass
Demi Garcia Sabat – Drum kit
About
Acknowledged as one of the UK’s most versatile and creative cellists, trailblazing cellist and composer Shirley Smart’s sextet draws on a background of 10 years living in Jerusalem and working with the overlapping worlds of jazz, Arabic, Turkish and North African music, Shirley is equally at home and well versed in all these traditions, and her music draws upon this rich tapestry of influences to create an evening of vibrant melodies, grooves, swing and lively improvisation. Showcasing her unique ability to explore the potential of the cello in a jazz context, performing multiple roles as bassist, lead and soloist on the instrument, and featuring also some of the UK’s leading lights in world-influenced jazz – John Crawford (Ola Onabule) on piano, James Arben (Mulatu Astatke, Hackney Colliery Band, Heliocentrics) on sax/flute, Tim Quicke (Lousie Balkwill, Giles Thornton) on trumpet and Michele Montoli (Alina Bzhezhinska) on bass and Demi Garcia Sabat (John Dankworth, Nicolas Meier) on drums this dynamic group promises an evening of inspired music-making.
Originally trained under Raphael Wallfisch at the Guildhall School of Music, and Janos Starker in Paris, Shirley subsequently moved to Jerusalem, where she worked with some of the region’s leading artists, including Avishai Cohen, Omer Avital, Khaled Jubran, Sabreen and Yasmin Levy.
Since moving back to London from Jerusalem, Smart has established herself firmly on both the jazz and world music scenes working with artists including Mulatu Astatke, Neil Cowley, Robert Mitchell, Misha Mullov-Abbado, Nikki Yeoh and Alice Zawadzki.
She is also currently Head of Performance at City University and an Assistant Lecturer at Kent University