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, which 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 Kenny and 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 have recently finished recording a new album with Dave Holland and Norma Winstone MBE of new compositions that were written especially for the choir.
Before lockdown Pete Churchill and LVP completed the 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. There were two further sold-out shows at Kings Place (2017 and 2018), and the recording of this project is now, after the inevitable delays of lockdown, nearing completion.
Being a ‘project-based’ choir it is customary for LVP to rehearse and maintain several contrasting programs at the same time and over the past year or so, alongside their recent Kenny Wheeler Project, they have been focusing on their unique singer/songwriter project, primarily focusing on the music of James Taylor, but also celebrating the songs of Joni Mitchell, Elton John and other contemporary writers.
Earlier this year saw a collaboration with The Printmakers called ‘The Many Voices of Eve’ which focuses on the music of female composers, lyricists and poets and there is also in the pipeline a project of a rare, never recorded choral work by the great British jazz pianist, John Taylor.
