The London Vocal Project

Residency at PizzaExpress Jazz Club

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Last Show: Sunday 18 th September 2022

PizzaExpress Jazz Club (Soho)

The London Vocal Project is recognised as one of the UK's most accomplished contemporary vocal ensembles. Now in its fifteenth year, the choir of 25 singers from London's jazz scene and led by Pete Churchill, is excited to be making regular appearances at PizzaExpress Jazz Club throughout 2022. This is an opportunity to see the choir in an intimate jazz club setting as they perform favourites from their repertoire and premiere new music. On the set list there will be selections from recent and future projects, including music by James Taylor, British songwriters, Kenny Wheeler, and some long-standing LVP classics. 

 

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‘Hearing the album in all its glorious contrapuntal detail, its particular lyrical quality - Miles played flugelhorn exclusively - was beautifully reflected in the singing of the London Vocal Project, who performed the entire work from memory.’

Peter Quinn, The Arts Desk

Alongside their regular performances of their own compositions and arrangements the London Vocal Project is a champion of new music, especially by British jazz composers, and this has led to performances of works by Nikki Iles, Gwilym Simcock, Mike Walker and Tim Whitehead. Equally important, however, is their active education programme introducing young choirs to the unique sound and ethos of LVP. Past collaborations with some of the world's leading writers and performers have included Bobby McFerrin, Johnny Dankworth & Cleo Laine, Kenny Wheeler, Dave Holland and Jon Hendricks.

Close collaboration with Kenny Wheeler culminated in the acclaimed 2013 recording of his Mirrors Suite, featuring the great Norma Winstone MBE. The album followed a memorable performance with Kenny and Norma as part of the London Jazz Festival in 2011. As they continue to perform and promote Kenny’s music, LVP are planning a new recording with Dave Holland and Norma Winstone MBE of new compositions that were written especially for the choir.

The latest project that Pete Churchill and LVP have been working on is the realisation of Jon Hendricks vocalese treatment of the Gil Evans, Miles Ahead album. Churchill’s collaboration with Hendricks on this choral adaptation began in 2012 and led to a New York premiere of this work made possible by the generous assistance of Quincy Jones. Following two further sold-out shows at Kings Place (2017 and 2018), the choir is preparing to finish recording the project and looking to release the album in 2022.

Being a ‘project-based’ choir it is customary for LVP to rehearse and maintain several contrasting programs at the same time and they are currently developing and adding to their ongoing project centred around some of their favourite tunes by James Taylor.