‘Tonight’, the music of Leonard Bernstein with the Rob Barron Trio feat. Georgia Cécile

Leonard Bernstein was one of the Titans of music-making in the 20th century. His timeless compositions for choirs, soloists and orchestras remain essential parts of the musical scene. Among his most memorable creations are his extensive musical theatre compositions, of which “West Side Story” is the most famous.

Giving voice to this wide collection, in his original and most creative manner, comes Rob Barron, with his trio, among our most respected and creative jazz pianists. Rob recognises that Bernstein’s imaginative creations give themselves generously to an updated and improvised interpretation. Indeed, Leonard Bernstein did enjoy playing the piano with a trio.

Winner of ‘UK Jazz Act Of The Year’ and ‘Vocalist of the Year’ at the 2022 Jazz FM awards, Georgia Cécile is at the helm of the new wave of UK jazz crossover artists. Growing up in Glasgow’s vibrant jazz scene, Georgia studied piano first before training as a vocalist and graduating from Edinburgh Napier University with first-class honours in popular music.
Inspired by the likes of Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder and Duke Ellington, her debut album ‘Only The Lover Sings’ was “one of the most heralded albums of 2021” -Jazzwise and topped the UK Official Charts -Jazz and Blues category.

In this “Tonight” concert –following successful 2023 concerts including the EFG London Jazz Festival, Rob devotes the first half to “West Side Story”, whilst the second half captures a wide range of music from Bernstein’s “Candide”, “On The Town”, “Peter Pan”,” Wonderful Town”, “A Quiet Place” and more.

Rob Barron appears regularly with the BBC Big Band, Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Orchestra and the Simon Spillett Big Band in the U.K. and performs often on the New York jazz scene. He is a superb accompanist to many jazz musicians, including Claire Martin, Stacey Kent, and Jacqui Dankworth, among many others. His first album “What’s In Store” enjoyed critical acclaim.

Joining Rob and Georgia for these concerts are two of our very best accomplished jazz masters, Jeremy Brown– double bass and  Josh Morrison – drums.

“Rob’s style evokes a passion for the American Tradition of Wynton Kelly, Cedar Walton and Hank Jones.” – The Hoste of Jazz.