What’s New
Theyare delighted to welcome back to the Festival renowned jazz vocalist Ian Shaw, jazz pianist resident at The Ritz Jamie Safir and to welcome tenor sax star Iain Ballamy for an evening based around their latest album.
What’s New, the album (Silent Wish records), was a timely coming together of three players whose collective interest in ‘the moment’ – i.e. musical improvisation, in cahoots with a true love of classic song forms – makes the live experience of the album an ever-growing, yet representative, gig.
The material is about human connections – friendships, relationships, positive and otherwise – and plunders 80 years of the popular song form. These are fresh arrangements of songs of love and hope – from the title song of their recording to Bernstein’s Some Other Time as well as the Bacharach/David classics Alfie and You’ll Never Get To Heaven alongside works by Legrand, Jobim and Ellington.
Performers
Ian Shaw vocals
Iain Ballamy tenor sax
Jamie Safir piano
Sponsored by The Headley Trust
The Newbury Spring Festival
Newbury Spring Festival is one of the most popular and successful music festivals in the South of England.
Over the last years the Festival has grown hugely in size and quality building up a reputation of international status.
The very best young musical stars appear alongside some of the world’s most distinguished and famous names.
Newbury Spring Festival is a glorious fortnight of world class music in Newbury and its beautiful neighbouring villages, with up to 45 events in 18 venues, and where international symphony orchestras, ensembles and soloists rub shoulders with jazz legends, world music artists and the stars of tomorrow.
The Festival was founded in 1979 to provide the opportunity to promote culture in the region by creating an annual festival accessible to all.
It aims to bring excellent, new and innovative work from around the world to a variety of local venues adding to the economic and cultural wellbeing of the area, and to continue to create opportunities for young people, existing and new audiences to enjoy the arts.
Newbury Spring Festival is funded entirely by private donation, charitable giving and corporate sponsorship and enjoys its reputation as one of the most important cultural events in the region, attracting audiences of several thousand each year from the immediate area and beyond.
Over the past few years, highlights have included the Soweto Gospel Choir at Douai Abbey which has become one of the Festival’s major venues and established a tradition of world class choirs.
Also in 2006, the Victoria Mullova Ensemble performed an unforgettable concert at Englefield House.
In 2008 John Williams and Emanuel Ax both performed in the Corn Exchange, developing a pattern of an International Celebrity Recital Series in this venue.
In 2004 the Tibetan Monks from Tashi Lhunpo Monastry took part in an exciting week long Festival residency.
You must be logged in to post a comment.