Cleveland Watkiss Qrt + Oscar Peterson tribute with the James Pearson Trio, Support: The Ronnie Scotts All Stars Monday 28th February

Cleveland Watkiss-Voice, Marco Piccioni -Guitars, Shaney Forbes-Drums, Mark Hodgson-Bass

“Best male jazz singer in Britain”… Evening Standard

“The Sonny Rollins Of The Human Voice”… TimeOut

CLEVELAND WATKISS 

Hailed as the best jazz singer in Britain (Evening Standard), this virtuoso vocalist, actor, composer and educator is one of the most versatile artists in music today. Winner of the London Awards Best Vocalist 2010, and three-times Wire/Guardian Award Winner, Cleveland’s career is testament to the eclecticism of his talent.

Support will come from the James Pearson Trio performing a very special tribute to the late great piano master Oscar Peterson

Since co-founding the Jazz Warriors in the mid 80s, his collaborations have extended from reggae and jazz to pop and classical music, leading him to work with some of the greatest names on the international scene — Bob Dylan, Wynton Marsalis, The Who, Cassandra Wilson, Kenny Wheeler Big Band, Bjork, Art Blakey, Maxi Priest, Abdullah Ibrahim, Stevie Wonder and many more. He has performed with symphony orchestras and appeared on stage in musicals and opera, most recently making a guest appearance with Wynton Marsalis and The Lincoln Centre Orchestra (JALC), and taking the starring role in Julian Joseph’s ground-breaking jazz opera Bridgetower and Shadowball. With five albums already to his name, a sixth is due for Spring 2012.

The “CWQ” Quartet

Building on the formidable strength and range of his solo performances with Vocalsuite, Cleveland Watkiss has brought together three of the foremost musicians on the British jazz scene — Mark Hodgson (bass), Shaney Forbes (drums) and Marco Piccioni (guitars)— to form a Quartet that showcases his extraordinary vocal talent. Dubbed the “Sonny Rollins of the human voice” (Time Out), Cleveland’s rare ability to improvise like any instrument makes him a true frontman, but he is also able to incorporate his sound melodically, harmonically and rhythmically with bass and drums in a way that both complements and extends the musical dimensions of the conventional jazz Quartet format.

“A unique unit of voice, bass, and drums, the group manages to convey the entire jazz aesthetic by musical implication, while at the same time having all the internal spaciousness you’d expect”.Jazz UK

“Watkiss’ larger than life stage presence and highly original scatting brought the band into the desired higher gear, bringing out great solos” Jazzwise

“Every phrase oozes distinctive musicianship” The Stage

“Singing with just bass and drums for company is a somewhat risky business, requiring sharp ears and quick musical reflexes, but Cleveland Watkiss has always been blessed with these advantages, so is able to seize and hold an audience’s attention solely with the power and versatility of his voice” Chris Parker

“A jazz legend“ The Telegraph