Shirley Smart – cello
John Crawford – piano
Demi Garcia Sabat – drums/percussion
Special Guest ; Nicolas Meier – guitar
Trailblazing cellist/composer Shirley Smart draws together jazz and influences from North Africa, Middle East, Balkans, and South America.
“Long Story Short” drawing on Smart’s unique background which includes 10 years living and working in Jerusalem, as well as studies at the Guildhall School of Music, International Yehudi Menuhin Academy and Jerusalem Centre for Creative Music. Shirley has performed with acclaimed musicians including Avishai Cohen, Omer Avital, Yasmin Levy, Mulato Astatke, Robert Mitchell, Antonio Forcione, and Alice Zawadzki among others, as well as leading her own projects. The trio features two of the UK’s leading lights in world-influenced jazz – John Crawford on piano, and Demi Garcia Sabat on percussion, and special guest Nicolas Meier on guitar. “Long Story Short” is released on 33 records.
“Smarts playing is particularly remarkable throughout. She readily demonstrates a wide range of techniques incorporating an understanding of improvisation drawn from a jazz background and her extensive knowledge of Arabic maqam” – Songlines Magazine
” Shirley Smart can now be considered one of the best improvising cellists in the UK” – The JazzMann
“..some of the most inventive use of the cello I’ve heard for some time.” – Kind of Jazz