Double Jazz FM Award-winning vocalist Georgia Cécile launches two new projects in February.
Glasgow-born Georgia Cécile, who won UK Jazz Act of the Year and Vocalist of the Year at the Jazz FM Awards last October, showcases a new album at Ronnie Scott’s in a special Valentine’s Day concert.
A collaboration with her partner, pianist Fraser Urquhart, Cécile’s follow-up to her debut album, Only the Lover Sings promises “a deeply personal offering, a collection of music about love and what it means to love.”
The concert will feature Cécile and Urquhart with a band including harpist Alina Bzhezhinska, bassist Calum Gourlay and drummer Max Popp alongside some surprise special guests.
“I love performing at Ronnie’s,” says Cécile, who has also appeared at the Royal Albert Hall, where she opened four sold-out nights for Gregory Porter. “There’s so much history contained within the walls of the club, and I can’t wait to be back on that famous stage.”
Later in February Cécile joins the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra on a four-date Scottish tour to premiere This Is a Communion, which continues her partnership with pianist and composer Euan Stevenson, who co-wrote and arranged Only the Lover Sings.
Aside from working with Cécile, Stevenson’s career includes co-leading New Focus with Scottish National Jazz Orchestra saxophonist Konrad Wiszniewski, leading his own ‘Ellington to Evans’ piano trio and playing piano duets with Dave Newton.
Stevenson has also had choral and orchestral works premiered on both sides of the Atlantic and last year was commissioned to arrange the Ukrainian national anthem for virtuoso violinist Pinchas Zukerman and the English Chamber Orchestra. He has written and orchestrated a complete concert of new compositions specially commissioned by the SNJO for the Scottish tour.
“Georgia Cécile is a gifted singer for our times,” says SNJO director, saxophonist Tommy Smith. “When she guested on our Christmas concert in 2021 the audience loved her and we’re really pleased to be working with her and Euan on a series of full concerts. Their creative partnership is based on the mutual sharing of thoughts, ideas, and feelings, all of which are the salient features of great orchestral jazz.”
The SNJO tour opens at Eden Court in Inverness on Thursday 23 February, continuing at Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh on Friday 24 and Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on Saturday 25, with a final performance at Perth Concert Hall in the afternoon of Sunday 26.
