Arts
THIS EPISODE:We eat cheese and drink wine, and talk about lots of different subjects including her eclectic music background and experiences with Middle Eastern music, her album "Long Story Short", Free Music, her doctorate and the so-called "prejudice" against Jazz Cello. Shirley Smart: Shirley Smart is recognised as one of the UK’s most versatile and creative cellists – being equally at home and well versed in jazz and Middle Eastern music, as well as classical music.Originally trained under Raphael Wallfisch at the Guilldhall School of Music, and Janos Starker in Paris, she subsequently moved to Jerusalem, where she remained for 10 years, studying and performing a wide variety of musical traditions from the North Africa, Turkey and Middle East. She was also highly active on the jazz scene, working with artists including Avishai Cohen, Omer Avital and Yasmin Levy. Since returning to the UK, she has quickly become known as one of the most creative cellists on the music scene and has worked with many leading jazz and world music groups, including Antonio Forcione, Mulato Astatke, Gilad Atzmon, Neil Cowley, Julian Ferraretto, Robert Mitchell, and Alice Zawadski.She leads her own trio, with John Crawford on piano, and Demi Garcia Sabat on drums, and band Melange.Shirley teaches Improvisation and Jazz at the Royal College of Music and City University, and is a visiting tutor for the National Youth Jazz Collective.https://www.shirleysmart.com/Giles Thornton:Giles is a composer/arranger based in London who has recently worked with as an arranger and musical supervisor for “Adventures In The American Songbook”, performed by postgraduate vocal studies students from the Guildhall School Of Music And Drama . He has also worked as in the music team for the Heritage Orchestra BBC Prom “New York: Sound Of A City”. Recently graduating from Guildhall School Of Music And Drama, studying Jazz Composition and Arranging, Giles released his debut big band album in July of last year. Giles’ original compositions are influenced by Vince Mendoza, Maria Schneider, Gill Evans and Mike Walker, among others.He has performed in prestigious venues , such as The Royal Albert Hall, Sadler’s Wells, LSO St Lukes, Milton Court Concert Hall and The Barbican Hall.Giles has worked with many artists, such as Jules Buckley, James McMillan, Liane Carroll and John Harle, among others.As well as being a composer/ arranger, Giles has also been a copyist for the ITV drama,”Cheat”, composed by Edmund Butt, and orchestrated by Julian Kershaw. Giles has also been a copyist for the upcoming Guildhall Studio Orchestra concert, “Jeremy Lubbock - A Life in Music”.Giles set up his Jazz Orchestra in January 2018, in order to record his debut big band album, “Be In Today”, and had a very successful launch at the Vortex Jazz Club, on July 4th 2017.https://www.gilesthorntonmusic.com/