Alexander Hawkins/Elaine Mitchener Quartet represents the first major collaboration of two of the most distinctive voices of their generation, and stakes out a remarkable common ground from the pair’s vast range of influences and experience. Their new album UpRoot to be launched at Kings Place fuses Mitchener’s unique way with both melody and abstraction, with Hawkins’ idiosyncratic compositional and pianistic world; as well as spotlighting re-imaginings of a number of non-original songs (including Patty Waters- You Thrill Me; Why Is Love Such a Funny Thing; and Archie Shepp – Blasé) which reveal the influence of precursors such as Jeanne Lee and Linda Sharrock.

‘Here is a group, populated by some of our most singular and precious talents, whose greatest talent is to communicate, and whose music already bear the signs of maturity and longevity.’ Brian Morton

‘The brilliance and urgency, the openness and the irresistible inner swing of the movement captivated the audience…the group took the audience as its fifth member on a stunning many-sided sonic tour…the musical action went beyond known limits.’ All About Jazz

‘as stunning as it was fresh’ Financial Times

‘remarkable reinventions by two fearless originals’ Guardian

‘sublime stuff’ JazzFM

Elaine Mitchener is ‘a genre-crossing virtuoso’ (FT.com), an experimental vocalist and movement artist who melds gospel, jazz, classical, sound poetry, movement and free improvisation into a unique style which has seen her collaborate in a dizzying array of contexts with artists ranging from Irvine Arditti and Christian Marclay to Henry Grimes and Evan Parker.

Alexander Hawkins is a pianist and composer who has been called ‘one of the most unique voices in contemporary music’. Alongside his profile as a soloist, bandleader and composer, he can be heard alongside a ‘who’s who’ of creative music, including the likes of Louis Moholo-Moholo, Joe McPhee, John Surman, Mulatu Astatke, Han Bennink, Wadada Leo Smith, and Evan Parker.