An exclusive concert celebrating the release of the critically acclaimed album Vital Spark (The Music of Kenny Wheeler), featuring the legendary Dave Holland, Norma Winstone MBE and the London Vocal Project.

This is a rare opportunity to hear the final poetry settings of the great Kenny Wheeler, lovingly realised by Pete Churchill from original scores sent to him by Kenny during the final years of his life. The resulting album, co-produced by Dave Holland and Churchill, features UK national treasure Norma Winstone MBE, London Vocal Project and an all-star band: Nikki Iles, Mark Lockheart, John Parricelli and James Maddren.

The programme includes poems by Stevie Smith, Lewis Carroll, William Blake, Langston Hughes and Gill Gladstone, as well as new lyrics by Norma Winstone. London Vocal Project is a choir of twenty-five voices whose sound is skilfully woven into the instrumental texture, with Norma Winstone soaring above, all underpinned by the unmistakable bass sound of the great Dave Holland.

About Dave Holland

Dave Holland is a renowned bassist, composer and bandleader whose passion for musical expression in all its forms, and dedication to creating innovative ensembles, have fuelled a career spanning more than 50 years. A guiding light on both acoustic and electric bass, Holland has earned numerous accolades, including multiple Grammy Awards and Grammy nominations, as well as the title of NEA Jazz Master.

Holland rose to prominence in groundbreaking groups led by such legends as Miles Davis, Stan Getz, Sam Rivers, Betty Carter, Anthony Braxton and Joe Henderson, while also collaborating with artists including Chick Corea, Gary Burton, Jack DeJohnette and John Abercrombie.

Today, he is equally celebrated for his own remarkable ensembles, ranging from duos and trios to big bands, and featuring innovative collaborators such as Steve Coleman, Robin and Kevin Eubanks, Jason Moran, Chris Potter and Eric Harland.

Holland’s most recent release, Another Land, is a trio recording featuring Kevin Eubanks and Obed Calvaire.

About Norma Winstone

Norma Winstone MBE has been a leading light in European music for many years, collaborating with Kenny Wheeler, John Taylor, Fred Hersch, Steve Swallow and Ralph Towner. It was in the late seventies that she formed the groundbreaking group Azimuth with John Taylor and Kenny Wheeler, recording several albums for ECM.

Her legendary solo album Somewhere Called Home – also released on ECM – is now widely considered a classic, as is the later album Well Kept Secret, recorded with the legendary American pianist Jimmy Rowles. This included Jimmy’s famous tune The Peacocks, for which she wrote lyrics and retitled A Timeless Place.

Also for ECM, she has recorded several albums with Italian pianist Glauco Venier and German saxophonist and bass clarinettist Klaus Gesing. The first of these, Distances, received a Grammy nomination.

Norma is a completely unique voice in European jazz – a voice without borders – and she remains one of the most influential and inspiring singers this country has ever produced.

About London Vocal Project

London Vocal Project is one of the UK’s leading contemporary vocal ensembles, specialising in jazz and groove music. Formed in 2008 by graduates of London’s conservatoires, the 24-strong choir comprises singers, instrumentalists, composers and music educators. Their repertoire spans a remarkable breadth of genres.

They have collaborated with some of the world’s leading writers and performers, including Bobby McFerrin, Sir John Dankworth, Dame Cleo Laine, Kenny Wheeler, Norma Winstone MBE and Jon Hendricks, and regularly perform at venues such as Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, the Royal Festival Hall and the Barbican.

LVP is passionate about music education and continues to work with music services in and around London, leading workshops that often culminate in major productions at the Royal Albert Hall involving more than 1,000 young musicians.

About Pete Churchill

As a pianist, Pete spent 15 years as accompanist to the legendary jazz singer Mark Murphy and, more recently, has worked with Sheila Jordan. He has been a member of both Kenny Wheeler’s and Abdullah Ibrahim’s vocal projects and had the privilege of conducting the Kenny Wheeler Big Band, culminating in the final album, The Long Waiting.

Pete is also recognised internationally as a musician who facilitates groundbreaking choral collaborations in jazz. As founder and director of the London Vocal Project (LVP), he has spearheaded projects with Bobby McFerrin, Sir John Dankworth and Dame Cleo Laine, Kenny Wheeler, and Norma Winstone MBE. The critically acclaimed album Mirrors, featuring Kenny Wheeler and Norma Winstone, was recorded with LVP in 2017. Following a lengthy collaboration with the legendary jazz singer and lyricist Jon Hendricks, Pete and LVP—sponsored by Quincy Jones—travelled to New York to give the world premiere of Hendricks’ Miles Ahead.

About Nikki Iles

As a founding member of the hugely innovative Creative Jazz Orchestra in the early 1990s, Nikki Iles came to prominence working with musicians such as Anthony Braxton, Vince Mendoza, Mark-Anthony Turnage, Kenny Wheeler and Mike Gibbs. As a pianist, she remains much in demand, with more than 35 recordings to her name. Career highlights include collaborations with Julian Argüelles, Kenny Wheeler, Norma Winstone MBE, Stan Sulzmann and Claire Martin.

Further collaborations close to her heart include the trio recording Hush with Rufus Reid and Jeff Williams; Lush Life, another trio project with Stan Sulzmann and Dave Holland; a Scandinavian-Anglo-Canadian project called The North (featuring Norma Winstone, Percy Pursglove, Anders Mogensen and Mike Murley); the album Mirrors with Kenny Wheeler and Norma Winstone; and her own group, The Printmakers, which resulted in the acclaimed album Westerly.

The last few years have seen her writing for larger ensembles—a new chapter in her long and distinguished career. This work has taken her around the world, directing bands across Europe and America. It culminated in her appointment as Chief Conductor of the NDR Bigband in Hamburg and the release of her album Face to Face in 2023.

About Mark Lockheart

Mark Lockheart first came to prominence with the pioneering big band Loose Tubes before going on to shape the UK jazz scene through projects such as Perfect Houseplants and the Mercury Prize-nominated Polar Bear.

A collaborator of remarkable range, he has worked with Norma Winstone, Kenny Wheeler, Seb Rochford, June Tabor, Django Bates, the NDR Big Band, Robert Wyatt, Stereolab, Thomas Dolby, Radiohead and Mark-Anthony Turnage.

His artistry has earned widespread recognition, including Jazz FM Instrumentalist of the Year (2016), Parliamentary Jazz Musician of the Year (2010), and the prestigious Paul Hamlyn Award (2019).j

About John Parricelli

John Parricelli was a founding member of the acclaimed British big band Loose Tubes, recording three albums and touring throughout the world. Since then, he has been active as a jazz musician, composer, bandleader and studio player.

He has toured and recorded with many leading figures in contemporary jazz, including Kenny Wheeler, Norma Winstone, Dave Holland, Charlie Haden, Peter Erskine, Lars Danielsson, Paul Motian, Andy Sheppard, Chris Batchelor, Iain Ballamy and Lee Konitz. He has also performed Mark-Anthony Turnage’s Blood on the Floor throughout Europe and the United States, and Anna Nicole at its premiere at the Royal Opera House, London.

James Maddren

It is difficult to find a modern British jazz album these days that does not feature James Maddren on drums. He has built an international performing career working with artists including Kit Downes, Gwilym Simcock, Jacob Collier, Kenny Wheeler, Nikki Iles and the collaborative trio Enemy (alongside Petter Eldh and Kit Downes).

He has appeared at leading venues and festivals throughout Europe, including Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, the Montreux Jazz Festival, Cologne Philharmonie and the Bimhuis in Amsterdam. His recordings have been released on ECM, Edition Records, WeJazz and Basho Records.

Reviews

For Dave Holland

‘One of jazz’s leading bassists.’ The Wall Street Journal 

For Norma Winstone MBE

‘… A superb example of state-of-the-art, imaginative, virtually beyond-definition singing.’ Don Heckman, LA Times 

For London Vocal Project

‘The singers of the London Vocal Project are something else. Not only do they sound like a coherent ensemble – a real band – with a signature sound like no other choir on the scene, they have the technique to stretch and adapt their sound… (and) yet they wear their learning lightly.’ John Walters, London Jazz News

For Nikki Iles

‘A formidable UK jazz presence …’ John Fordham, The Guardian