606 Club Special: Norma Winstone/Kit Downes
The recipient of more than ten performance-related Awards singer/lyricist Norma Winstone MBE is widely considered to be one of the finest modern jazz singers the UK has produced. Over six decades and a hugely impressive body of work, Norma has been constantly inventive yet at the same time grounded in the essentials of the jazz repertoire. She first came to prominence as a young singer when she shared the bill at Ronnie Scott’s with iconic US saxophonist Roland Kirk, and from that beginning she went on to feature in the bands of numerous high profile musicians of the time, including Mike Westbrook, John Surman, Kenny Wheeler and Mike Gibbs as well as working extensively with many of the major visiting European and American “names”. But it was in the late 1970’s when she joined pianist John Taylor and trumpeter Kenny Wheeler to form the trio Azimuth, described by Richard Williams of The Times as “one of the most imaginatively conceived and delicately balanced of all contemporary chamber jazz groups“ that she really established herself as an International artist. Azimuth were one of the first UK bands to be signed to the iconic European label ECM and over the following 20+ years they produced a series of universally acclaimed albums. Norma’s solo career has been equally lauded and extensive. With well over 30 albums to her name, 20+ as leader alongside the likes of John Abercrombie, Dave Holland, Peter Erskine, Jimmy Rowles, Fred Hersch, Gary Burton, Stan Tracey & Bobby Wellins, she has cemented her reputation as one of the great European jazz singers. In recent years she has also become known as a very fine lyricist, writing words to compositions by the likes of Ralph Towner, Brazilian composers Egberto Gismonti and Ivan Lins (who has recorded her English lyrics to his song ‘Vieste‘) and Steve Swallow (most notably his ‘Ladies in Mercedes‘).
Tonight Norma is appearing at the Club as a duo with the brilliant pianist Kit Downes. A BBC Jazz Award-winning, Mercury Music Award-nominated recording artist for ECM Records Kit has toured the world playing piano and organ with his own bands as well as with artists such as Bill Frisell, ‘Empirical‘ & Andrew Cyrille. He has written commissions for Cheltenham Music Festival, London Contemporary Orchestra, Biel Organ Festival, Ensemble Klang at ReWire Festival, the Scottish Ensemble, Cologne Philharmonie and the Wellcome Trust. In addition, Kit holds a fellowship at the Royal Academy of Music, has twice been awarded 1st place in Downbeat’s Critics Poll Rising Star for Organ and Keyboard and his ECM records ‘Obsidian‘, ‘Dreamlife of Debris‘ and ‘Vermillion‘ have been released to much critical acclaim.
Norma and Kit will this evening be performing material from their recently recorded ECM album “Outpost of Dreams”, where Norma brings her poetic sensibilities to new pieces by Kit as well as compositions by Carla Bley, Ralph Towner and John Taylor along with fresh perspectives on traditional tunes. The album was widely received with great enthusiasm: “The esteemed vocalist and prolific pianist weave their sounds together in an album of exquisite songs and extraordinary empathy” Guardian, “Winston-Downes duets are the Stuff of Dreams” Downbeat, “It is a joy to hear how the duo mix the traditional and contemporary in their own distinctive voices.” Jazz Views. This promises to be a very special night for those who love great, contemporary, jazz singing and playing.
“Winstone is an adept lyricist as well as a profoundly connective singer” All About Jazz; “Downes… world-class” Guardian; “Downes…One of the finest pianists of his generation” Jazzwise
Photo of Norma Winstone by Melanie McLaren; Photo of Kit Downes by Karolina Kreintaal