Event 31: Jazz Festival 2: Louise Gibbs (voice) and Nikki Iles (piano)

Gibbs & Iles is an exciting, long-awaited duo partnership between jazz singer, Louise Gibbs and pianist, Nikki Iles. They come together from previous duo associations with artists such as Lynne Arriale, Kirk Lightsey, Tina May and Norma Winstone to refine their reinterpretations of jazz standards from the Great American Songbook. Their project continues the tradition but also features some originals and tunes made famous by jazz instrumentalists (Miles Davis, Ellington, Mingus, Monk, Shorter, Wheeler amongst others). What the tunes have in common is a challenging melodic angularity that, with added lyrics, deepens their representations of love, loss and renewal, life’s surprises and ambiguities. Dedicated to song and making music together in the moment, Gibbs & Iles guarantee each performance a one-off jazz experience.

Louise Gibbs is velvet-voiced singer, jazz improviser, composer, educator and recording artist with four acclaimed albums as bandleader. Jazzwise Magazine recently said of her singing as "possessing charisma and creativity”…”a high-wire act that takes more chances than anything…heard outside the strictly avant-garde”. See http://louisegibbs.co.uk

Nikki Iles has been described as “a pianist of extraordinary imagination” as confirmed by excellent reviews of her recent trio album Hush (with Rufus Reid and Jeff Williams). She is one of the UK’s most admired jazz musicians, is a bandleader, composer and educator. See http://www.nikkiiles.co.uk