November’s Last Friday – Anjela Abelian & Andrea Rinciari

Anjela Abelian & Andrea Rinciari

Stripped-back jazz with a unique blend of jazz vocal and guitar drawing inspiration from the timeless collaboration of Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass. During this special evening Anjela Abelian, Camden’s very own jazz/contemporary singer and songwriter, collaborates with the virtuoso jazz guitarist Andrea Rinciari, they perform a carefully curated mix of jazz standards and originals. Anjela will be also introducing her recent single – “It’s So Much Fun”.

Anjela Abelian – Camden based jazz/contemporary singer and songwriter. Deeply rooted in jazz tradition, she loves the purity of the song form in every musical style and seamlessly fuses her musical journey with contemporary nuances. She mastered vocals with Speech Level Singing school, and under the guidance of such voice gurus as Anita Wardell and Dr. Voice.Anjela started refining her songwriting craft during the pandemic, when she found solace in an international online community of songwriters, and one of her songs, “Strawberries”, went to the semi-final of the International Songwriting Competition. The track “Strawberries” was later released and gained international acclaim with widespread radio plays across Europe and the US.

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5a6XSEFwJs Website: www.anjelaabelian.com Instagram @anjelaabelian

Andrea Rinciari, a dedicated full-time jazz guitarist, had the privilege of learning from the legendary Barry Harris, greatly influencing his playing. With two successful album releases, Andrea’s guitar style is uniquely shaped around the influences of piano players, making pianistic choices on the guitar. His inspiration comes from jazz icons such as Bud Powell, Tadd Dameron, Elmo Hope, Freddie Redd, and Barry Harris, as well as non-pianist greats like Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins, Sonny Stitt, Fats Navarro, and Clifford Brown, resulting in a distinctive approach to bebop-straight ahead jazz.

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fDRV7-Hf2c

October’s Last Friday is Jessop Duo

This month we’re delighted to be joined by Emily Suzanne Shapiro on clarinet, and Danielle Rogan on flute, collectively known as The Jessop Duo.

Northern Irish flutist Danielle Rogan is a freelance orchestral, chamber and solo musician based in London. She has worked with London Concert Orchestra, RTÉ Concert Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra Ireland, Mozart Symphony Orchestra and Wexford Festival Opera. She has played on commercial recordings and on RTÉ Lyric FM, and performed in prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall, Berlin Konzerthaus, Cadogan Hall, Hammersmith Apollo and the National Concert Hall Dublin. Danielle has appeared in several recital series including ‘Making an Entrance’ at Castletown House Kildare, Live@St. Mark’s Hamilton Terrace and St Saviour’s Church Pimlico. She performed at the 2022 Euro Knowledge Awards in the House of Lords, and around the world on Fred Olsen Cruise Lines. Danielle was a member of Euterpe Wind Quintet, Galway Music Residency ‘Apprentice Ensemble of the Year 2018’, and is currently a member of the World Harmony Orchestra. Danielle graduated with a Masters in Performance with distinction from the Royal Irish Academy of Music, where her teachers were William Dowdall and Patricia Morris. She previously studied with Elizabeth Bennett during her Bachelor degree at Queen’s University and Richard Davis at the Royal Northern College of Music. She also had memorable masterclass experiences with James Galway, William Bennett, Michael Cox, Lorna McGhee and Paul Edmund Davies, and completed orchestral training with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland. Danielle is grateful for the support of the Arts Council NI, who awarded her the ‘Musical Instruments for Individuals’ grant in 2020. In 2008 she was awarded the ‘Sam Mahood’ bursary by Banbridge District Arts Council.

Emily Suzanne Shapiro is a bass clarinetist and clarinetist dedicated to exploring and creating new music. Originally from Canada, Emily pursued her studies at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver Academy of Music, Concordia University and the Domaine Forget academy. Emily has a special love for the sound and scope of bass instruments and constantly pushes the limits of what she can do on bass clarinet.
Alongside performing contemporary music on bass clarinet, Emily is involved in many other musical endeavours. Composing and improvising are central to her career, and she has been an active performer of Balinese gamelan for 10 years and has also explored jazz, klezmer, rock and electroacoustics. She is always seeking out new artistic experiences to enrich and motivate her work.
She has performed all over London, including l’iklectik, Café Oto, Hundred Years Gallery, LSO St Luke’s, the Vaults festival, the Barbican and many more.

Get your tickets here.

September’s Last Friday – Lacuna Trio

Due to popular demand, we are delighted to be joined for a third visit by the charming and talented Lacuna Trio. Lacuna are made up of Jo Taylor (vocals, clarinet), Sarah Jane Rimmer (vocals, banjo) and Malcolm Thacker (vocals, guitar). Formed in the strange hiatus caused by the pandemic, Lacuna trio provide catchy, folky tunes, thoughtful lyrics and pure, clear vocals, and are becoming firm favourites on the booming alternative folk music circuit.

This concert sold out last time, so don’t delay – get yours today!

Doors open 1900, music starts 1930. There will be a short interval at 8pm. Music finishes 9pm.

Don’t forget to order your pizza!

Tickets

August’s Last Friday – Opera Recital

We have something a little different for you this month.

British-Canadian soprano Margarita Wood began her music studies in Nova Scotia, where she was raised. She holds a Master’s of Music in Performance and Literature from Western University, and in 2017, completed the International Artist Diploma at the Royal Northern College of Music.
Roles have included Iris (Semele), Gabrielle (La Vie Parisienne), Rodelinda (Rodelinda), Valencienne (The Merry Widow), Cupid (Orpheus in the Underworld), Nella (Gianni Schicchi) and Queen of the Night (The Magic Flute).
Rita has been the recipient of the Dr. Don Wright Scholarship for excellence in music, the Richard Newitt Fund, the Leverhulme Arts Trust and of the Nova Scotia Talent Trust Scholarship. At the RNCM she was awarded the Clare Croiza Prize for French Song.

Scottish tenor Michael Gibson is in his second year as a member of the Jette Parker Artists Programme at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Roles in the coming season include Borsa (Rigoletto), Young Servant (Elektra), Normanno (Lucia di Lamermoor) and Pong (Turandot) in the Royal Opera House’s 2024 tour of Japan.

In the 22/23 season, mainstage roles included Heinrich (Tannhäuser), Pong (Turandot), Gastone (La Traviata) and Ruiz (Il Trovatore) and in the Linbury Theatre, Male Chorus (The Rape of Lucretia) and Varo (Arminio).
Michael and Rita will be accompanied by conductor, pianist, répétiteur and organist Edward Reeve on piano.

Edward joined the Jette Parker Artists Programme in the 2022/23 Season. Over his two seasons at the Royal Opera House he has worked as assistant conductor on Jephtha, Madama Butterfly, Tosca, Turandot and The Rape of Lucretia, and as répétiteur on Don Carlo, Tannhäuser, Das Rheingold, La Bohème, Elektra and Wozzeck. Edward has previously worked at the Bayreuth Festival as Assistant Chorus Master on all their operas featuring chorus, and he has appeared regularly on the Music Staff at Glyndebourne since 2018. Edward was Organ Scholar at Queens’ College, Cambridge, graduating with a Double Starred First in Music in June 2017. He subsequently completed a PhD there in the orchestration of Wagner’s operas as the Aliki Vatikioti Graduate Scholar.
The programme will include works by Quilter, Liszt and Britten.

Pizzas are available as usual. Head over to our box office to reserve your tickets.

 

May’s Last Friday is Bow Django

We are delighted to welcome back the talented and entertaining Bow Django, east London’s premier latin-influenced jazz band.

Bow Django comprises guitarists Ienne and Chris, bassist Casper, clarinettist Jenny, violinist Peter, and vocalist Annie.

The band was formed when a group of friends got together to play gypsy jazz in an African cafe in Bow in about 2018. However, it really got going in the ‘tween and post-Lockdown periods when the group met in Victoria Park each Friday for a couple of hours to play for themselves and a dedicated group of distanced audience.

The natural choice for parks, street parties, cafe culture and libraries, their music – uptempo and infectiously optimistic – can’t fail to get your feet tapping.

Get your tickets here.