Saturday 29 March 2025
Becky Alice Quintet – Vocalese and Blue Dreams!
(Vocalese – the practice of writing lyrics to improvised jazz solos)
Join the Becky Alice Quintet for a night of jazz, blues and vocalese – featuring music from her debut E.P Blue Dreams, as well as the music of John Hendricks, King Pleasure, Annie Ross and others who inspired her.
The night will highlight familiar and less familiar tunes from the rich catalogue of the American Songbook and composers such as Horace Silver and Wayne Shorter. Expect beautiful melodies, poignant lyrics and incredible musicianship from a world-class band featuring Jay Phelps on trumpet, Sam Leak on piano, Menelik Claffey on double bass and Tim Sampson on drums.
Becky Alice - hailing from South London, Becky Alice’s life has been driven by a love of live music, improvisation and poetry. With her weekly residency at Oliver’s Jazz Bar in Greenwich, she’s performed with up-and-coming, established and renowned jazz musicians including Phil Robson, Oli Hayhurst, Deschanel Gordon, Donovan HaPner and more. In 2024, her crystal clear, soulful vocal and slick scatting have seen her guest at Pizza Express Dean Street with Ricky Ford (Charles Mingus, Abdullah Ibrahim, Roy Hargrove), perform with Joris Teepe (Benny Golson, Randy Brecker, Rashied Ali) and her first EP be featured on BBC Radio 3.
Line up:
Becky Alice – vocal
Jay Phelps – trumpet
Sam Leak – piano
Menelik Claffey – double bass
Tim Sampson - drums
London based trumpeter Jay Phelps has performed with some of the world’s top artists such as Wynton Marsalis, Shabaka Hutchings, Amy Winehouse and Wizkid. With an instantly recognisable warm and projecting trumpet tone, Phelps is a household name on the international jazz scene.
Sam Leak (piano) is a renowned improviser and arranger, well-known on the jazz scene in London for both his virtuosity and creativity. His most recent record is described as a “collaborative performance of the highest creativity” by Jazz Journal.
Menelik Claffey (double bass) brings a wide range of influences, having played with Bill Laurence (Snarky Puppy), Tony Kofi, Cleaveland Watkiss and many more, touring the UK and Europe and playing some of London’s biggest stages.
Tim Sampson (drums) plays with an impeccable sense of swing and style and returns to jazz after working extensively in commercial music, touring across the United States including at Coachella, Austin City Limits and more.
Video 1 (“Take Love Easy”): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uc8g70Zs-ks
Video 2 (“When I Fall in Love”): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHGhK5fbXHg
Video 3 (“Blue Dreams” montage – live): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCodMjgJcvM
Video 4 (“Nica’s Dream”): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rO1SLwXXCDA
