THE BLUE ARROW
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Remove from My Festival
Sat 22nd June at 2:30pm
Help Musicians Scotland Panel
Time Out doesn’t mean Time Over: Our Charity partner, Help Musicians Scotland, are hosting a discussion with Scottish Jazz musicians on building resilience into your music career – putting your health and welfare before the needs of the music industry. Time out for you doesn’t mean time out for your career.
The panel: Laura Wilkie, Luca Manning and Joni Keen.
This event is free entry with an optional donation to Help Musicians Scotland to support their frontline services.
Laura Wilkie
Laura Jane Wilkie was raised in the highland folk music traditions of Ross-shire. Upon her move to Glasgow to study music on the BA applied Music degree at Strathclyde university, she began writing and arranging string and vocal parts for singer-songwriters and bands. Most notably Rachel Sermanni with whom she toured and collaborated with for 3 EPs and on her debut record ‘Under Mountains.’
As a co-founding member of “Fatsuit” Laura was able to mould her playing with fellow string player Mhairi Marwick to fit within large ensemble works as well as the band’s string-feature pieces.
Laura Jane currently works within the collaborative Glasgow-based acoustic group, ‘The Kinnaris Quintet’ and jazz/multi-faceted-trad group ‘LIT trio’ alongside Tom Gibbs (keys/clarinet) and Innes White (guitar/mandolin)
The style of her writing is demonstrated in the piece “Guttersnipe” she commissioned for ‘Distil’ showcase 2015 performed by Mr. McFall’s chamber quintet.
The young composer has also written and arranged music for folk/fusion youth band based in Perth Concert Hall: the Gordon Duncan experience where she co-directs the band under head MD, David Milligan.
Laura works and plays with many artists and groups as a session fiddle player or string group performer and arranger. (namely: Ross Ainslie & Ali Hutton, Salsa Celtica, Ian Carr and the Various Artists, Alana Henderson, Fatherson, Siobhan Miller, Claire Hastings.)
“Laura Wilkie is one of Scotland’s finest musicians and teachers. She is a wonderful fiddler who can perform many styles solo and in band settings. As teacher she inspires all who work with her.” Simon Thoumire, Hands Up for Trad.
Luca Manning
Luca Manning is an award winning Jazz vocalist and composer from Glasgow, Scotland. He is inspired by a wide range of artists and musical styles, as well as being firmly rooted in the tradition of jazz. Luca has had the opportunity to perform at various festivals across the UK – opening for the likes of Georgie Fame and Becca Stevens. His ability as not just a consummate vocalist but a gifted improviser, continues to enthral audiences and shows maturity well beyond his years. In 2018, Luca was voted ‘Rising Star’ at the Scottish Jazz Awards and was also nominated in the ‘Best Vocalist’ category.
Now resident in London, Luca is fast making a name for himself. He is in his second year at the Guildhall School of Music on the Bmus Jazz degree and already has played major London venues such as Pizza Express Jazz Club and Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in Soho leading his own ensembles. He has also become a vocal chair holder with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra since January 2018, a member of the London Vocal Project(2018), and in December 2017, was invited by Liane Carroll to guest on her sold-out Christmas show at Ronnie Scott’s.
Luca has successfully completed an advanced diploma in Jazz Studies under the tuition of saxophonist, Richard Ingham and is now studying on the Bmus(hons) Jazz degree course at the renowned Guildhall School of Music, London under the direction of Malcolm Edmonstone. Luca’s studies are currently supported by the Guildhall School scholarship fund, The Cross Trust and The Dewar Arts Awards.
Joni Keen
Established talent in Glasgow’s Jazz scene, Joni Keen first came to light in the Glasgow Jazz Festival (2000) and since then has been going from strength to strength.
Jazz singer from Scotland Joni is one of the leading and most professional Jazz vocalists in Scotland.
Joni’s new album “Ella, Oscar and Me” is a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald. Joni’s album “Fragile” includes songs from Gershwin to Tom Waits. Both albums are released by Circular Records and are availalbe via itunes.
What makes a good jazz singer? What makes any singer a good singer or any musician a good musician?It’s not just technique, dynamics, phrasing, range; all of which Joni Keen has in abundance; it’s the ability to drive all the horses at once and to set a course for the heart.
That’s what all great music is about, touching the heart, allowing us to experience the common-personal emotions: love and longing, joy and sorrow, pain and healing.
I’ve known Joni since she wanted to be a jazz singer, through to now when she is a jazz singer. What a fantastic voyage it’s been! ‘Musicality’ is hard to define and even harder to acquire, but from the first track of this little outing in the idiom, that’s the word that comes to mind. And not least because of the choice of a group of musical talents that have the range and the chops to really drive this well away from the clichés and affectations of the ‘jazz and jewellery’ stylists.
There’s an emotional maturity about Joni’s performances here, a kind of sensitivity that can’t be faked, it distinguishes her as a significant new interpreter not just of the standards but of a repertoire that is thoroughly satisfying in its breadth and originality. Much more than just a jazz calling card, here is a view from the plateau, and what a view!
David Sillars From Be-Bop to Hip Hop – BBC Radio Scotland
“The best ballad singer I’ve heard in decades” Circular Records.
