Wendy Kirkland Sextet – Latin Lowdown Live
Tuesday 26 October 2021
ft. vibraphone virtuoso Roger Beaujolais.
Pianist and singer Wendy Kirkland has been a mainstay of the UK Jazz scene since the late noughties, but it was her first album, Piano Divas, released in 2017 that began her ascent to wider recognition as a “Singing Pianist”, as dubbed by Jazz Journal. The ability to sing at the same time as comping and craft solos on the piano or unison piano/voice scat lines is her forte, with influences such as Diana Krall, Eliane Elias and Dena DeRose. Further accolades were given for her 2019 release The Music’s On Me, dubbed “a huge leap forward” by Jazz Views.
Line-up: Wendy Kirkland – keyborads, Pat Sprakes – guitar, Roger Beaujolais – vibraphone, Wayne Matthews – bass, Steve Wyndham – drums, Jon Richmond – percussion.
Reviews:
“Terrific pianist and singer. Assured and full of surprises” ★★★★ Dave Gelly, The Observer
“Mellow and stylish” – Clive Davis, The Sunday Times
“She’s a jazz pianist AND a jazz singer, and does both with feeling and flair” ★★★★ Nigel Jarrett, Jazz Journal
“Kirkland impresses on every level. Superb. Recommended.” ★★★★ Matt Ruddick, Kind of Jazz
“Wow. WOW! A cracker – and brilliantly delivered.” – Linley Hamilton, BBC Radio
“Refreshing tribute to pianist singers like herself: Diana Krall, Nina Simone, Eliane Elias” – Jazzwise
“One of the great unsung heroines of British jazz. The lucid warmth of her singing is accompanied by her highly accomplished piano playing.” The JazzMann