Saturday 28 October 2023
JOHN-PAUL MUIR ENSEMBLE: “HOME NOW” Album Launch feat. BRIGITTE BERAHA
Pianist and composer John-Paul Muir launches his new project “Home Now”, featuring Brigitte Beraha on vocals alongside the rhythm section of Jakub Cywiński (double bass) and Eric Ford (drums). George Crowley features on both bass clarinet and tenor saxophone, and David Wright also joins on tenor saxophone.
Muir’s compositions are lyrical, imbued with warmth, and represent the arrival of a distinctive artistic voice. Several of the compositions were created in collaboration with writer Anjali Bhat as lyricist, and this partnership resonates throughout the album. Muir’s classical heritage is still present but is now imbued with influences from across the European jazz tradition. He will also be presenting new arrangements of compositions from his previous album “The Cornerstone Suite”.
John-Paul Muir has established himself as one of the finest pianists to emerge from New Zealand in recent years, and certainly one of the most versatile, equally at home in both classical, jazz, and contemporary genres.
After completing studies at the University of Auckland with Rae de Lisle and Kevin Field, John-Paul moved to London to study at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. He has since graduated with distinction from their Artist Masters Programme and is currently enjoying a freelance career based in London. He has performed throughout New Zealand, the USA, and the United Kingdom. Highlights include performing for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, and several concert series at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival as part of the Royal Over-Seas League concert programme in both classical and jazz settings. He was featured as the official pianist for the New Zealand exhibit at the Venice Biennale in 2011, where he performed daily for a week as part of the opening festivities.
John-Paul is the Senior Programme Manager of the Bloomsbury Festival, an annual 10-day arts festival held in October featuring over one hundred events across Bloomsbury. He has established a weekly jazz night in Bloomsbury at Goodenough College, where his regular appearances feature an ever-evolving roster of guest musicians from the UK jazz scene and beyond. His debut solo piano record featuring original compositions and improvisations, the Cornerstone Suite, was released in November 2019 after a premiere at the London Jazz Festival, and his latest recording project is due for release in 2023.
Brigitte Beraha, improvising vocalist, and composer is one of the leading talents on the UK jazz scene. She has recorded several critically acclaimed albums, with the latest two under her name, By the Cobbled Path (a solo work) and Blink (with her ‘Lucid Dreamers’ quartet), both adventuring into the realms of electronic exploration and spoken word. She is increasingly involved in exciting cross-genre projects, such as the recreation of Basil Kirchin’s music as part of Hull City of Culture 2017 or Raising Hell with Henry Purcell led by Ethan Iverson at Kings Place in 2018, cementing her reputation as a truly versatile artist with a huge range of experience and creative scope.
Line-up:
Brigitte Beraha - vocals
George Crowley - bass clarinet/sax
David “Flash” Wright - sax
John-Paul Muir - piano
Jakub Cywiński - double bass
Eric Ford - drums
Video 2 (John Paul Muir – “Autumn Song”): https://vimeo.com/174437981
OHN-PAUL MUIR ENSEMBLE: Premiera projektu „HOME NOW” z udzialem wokalistki Brigitte Beraha!
Pianista i kompozytor John-Paul Muir przedstawia swój nowy projekt „Home Now”, w którym Brigitte Beraha (wokal) współpracuje z sekcją rytmiczną Jakuba Cywińskiego (kontrabas) i Erica Forda (perkusja). George Crowley gra zarówno na klarnecie basowym, jak i na saksofonie tenorowym, a David Wright dołącza również na saksofonie tenorowym.
Kompozycje Muira są liryczne, przepełnione ciepłem i reprezentują nadejście charakterystycznego, wyrazistego głosu artystycznego.
John-Paul Muir dał się poznać jako jeden z najlepszych pianistów, którzy pojawili się w Nowej Zelandii w ostatnich latach, a z pewnością jeden z najbardziej wszechstronnych, równie dobrze radzący sobie z klasyka, jazzem, jak i nurtami współczesnymi.
Brigitte Beraha, improwizująca wokalistka i kompozytorka, to jeden z czołowych talentów brytyjskiej sceny jazzowej.
Skład:
Brigitte Beraha – wokal
George Crowley – klarnet basowy/saksofon
David „Flash” Wright – saksofon
John-Paul Muir – fortepian
Jakub Cywiński – kontrabas
Eric Ford – perkusja
