You might have seen soprano Dani Sicari as the tragic heroine in Donizetti’s Maria de Rudenz – or in Little Woman at Opera Holland Park – or starring in Poulenc’s great choral Gloria with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra….
Or you might have seen her at Cheltenham Jazz Festival or the Lake District Summer Music Festival with her jazz septet, the The Easy Rollers.
And, if you are a long time supporter of Salon Music, you might have seen James Girling here at Hampstead Lane at our festival of Thomas Hardy poems – or, more prestigiously, at the Wigmore Hall – or, with his 12-piece band Agbeko playing at the opening concert of WOMEX 2024 – or at last year’s BBC Proms with in Paraorchestra‘s world premiere performance of The Virtuous Circle at Bristol Beacon…..
Or you might have seen him at Cheltenham Jazz Festival or the Lake District Summer Music Festival with Dani’s jazz septet, The Easy Rollers.
As both Dani and James are among those rare artists who genuinely can span multiple genres and be as comfortable and convincing on the operatic or concert stage as at a jazz festival.
I met Dani last year after her performance at the Islington Festival and was telling her about what we do at Salon Music – while she was telling me about The Easy Rollers and the jazz that they play based on the music of the 1920s and ’30s Harlem, Kansas City and New Orleans. Sadly, I said, we really could not fit a septet into Hampstead Lane.
‘No problem!’ she said… ‘I have always wanted to try out a stripped down Easy Roller version of the jazz that we play. Just James and I. Are you up for that?’
Well, I most definitely was. So on April 15th we will have some Gershwin, some Jerome Kern, some Rogers and Hart, The Ballad of Billy a Kid, Jus’ One O’ Those Days….. And, who knows – maybe the odd aria might creep in as well!
And…… I am just mulling a jambalaya for supper afterwards….
Go here to book for April 15th and for more details of the programme.
Future Hampstead Lane programmes – now ALL BOOKABLE
Sunday 18th May – Madeleine Mitchell and the London Chamber Ensemble
We are delighted that Madeleine and her London Chamber Ensemble will return to Hampstead Lane with a programme of Haydn’s delightful Bird Quartet and Charles Wood’s Highgate Quartet and his Variations on an Irish Tune.
£30 to include supper and wine – for more details and to book go here.
Thursday 12th June – The Return of Flanders and Swann!
After their sell out recital last July Michael Mates and William Godfree are returning for another evening of Flanders and Swann songs – complete with 1950s supper.
£30 to include supper and wine – for more details and to book go here.
Sunday 6th July – The Vauxhall Band Basset Horn Trio
After their totally delightful visit to Hampstead Lane last April, we are thrilled that the The Vauxhall Band Basset Horn Trio, Katherine Spencer, Fiona Mitchell and Sarah Thurlow, will be returning on Sunday 6th July with a programme of music by Mozart and his contemporaries.
£30 to include supper and wine – for more details and to book go here.
For future happenings in at Hampstead Lane and elsewhere – see our Upcoming Events page.
Leave a Reply