Image ©Carl Hyde Studio 2019

Germana Stella La Sorsa - Introducing “Vapour”

Italian London-based Jazz singer** Germana Stella La Sorsa **will present her original compositions and arrangements from her debut album 'Vapour' (due to be release in the autumn, on 33 Jazz Records) as well as some of the classic and the contemporary tunes that first inspired her to write her own music, reimagined to fit her musical aesthetic.

In its style and conception, La Sorsa’s music is very eclectic, steeped in modern and contemporary sounds and avant-garde/free experimentation. La Sorsa called on the musicianship of highly regarded long-term collaborator jazz pianist Sam Leak on Hammond organ as well as the heavy weight stalwarts of the London jazz scene Nick Costley-White *on guitar and *Jay Davis on drums. Between them they have created a modern, open and sophisticated atmosphere, tuned in to the current wave of contemporary UK jazz. 'Vapour' is both intense and laid-back, groove heavy and rich in electrifying moments - full to the brim with captivating melodies.

“Once in a while you hear a musician that stops you in your tracks and you can’t ignore. Upon hearing Germana La Sorsa for the first time a few years ago I was blown away by her individual and unique style of singing, I was lucky enough to hear her live, my first thoughts were that she sings with a beautifully clear and warm tone with shades of the Brazilian iconic vocalist Flora Purim. Her latest album 'Vapour' is very heartfelt, warm and delivers. This album definitely takes you on a journey propelled by the great musicianship from the rest of her ensemble.” Tony Kofi

“Germana La Sorsa's new release, 'Vapour', consists mainly of original compositions with a few exceptions, which combined create a beautifully inventive and explorative work. I loved the feeling of unrestrained jazz exploration blended with a middle eastern tonal quality. The overall sound is ethereal yet captivating with Germana's light and graceful vocals weaving in and out throughout as she skillfully interacts with the musicians. There is outstanding work by this tight ensemble, consisting of organ, guitar and drums which completely avoids the cliche 'organ trio' sound and I found this quite refreshing. The players seem very well-attuned to one another. This is a quality release and one which I think Germana can be extremely proud of – Bravo!” * *Mala Waldron**

"Ethereal vocals and captivating compositions complemented by a great band." Joy Ellis

“A beautiful statement.” * *Jamie Murray **

THE BAND:

Germana Stella La Sorsa started performing in Italy at an early age, working her way up through the Italian Jazz scene to ultimately perform at the side of one of the most influential European jazz musicians: Franco Cerri (Chet Baker, Dizzy Gillespie, Billie Holiday, Lee Konitz, Gerry Mulligan, Django Reinhardt and many more). Upon moving to the UK in 2017, Germana immediately began to work on her own music collaborating with some of the highest profile musicians on the UK jazz scene. Germana's unique talent was quickly recognised and before long she was regularly gigging around London and the UK appearing in high profile venues such as the iconic Vortex Jazz Club, Toulouse Lautrec Jazz Club, Oliver's Jazz Bar and Kansas Smitty's.

Sam Leak is a London-based Jazz pianist described by JazzFM's Helen Mayhew as 'One of the brightest stars in the Jazz piano galaxy, a heavenly improviser, and a brilliant prospect for the future.' His eponymous debut album was listed in MOJO Magazine as one of the 'Top Ten International Releases of the Year.' The follow up, "Places," was described by the Guardian's John Fordham as 'surefooted creativity... way beyond respectful expertise,' and by BBC Music Magazine's Daniel Spicer as ‘assured and sophisticated acoustic jazz with deep roots in the tradition, that knows exactly what it's trying to do - and succeeds.’ Jamie Cullum introduced Leak's cohort as ‘the heavyweights of the British Jazz scene’ and described himself as a ‘fan’ of the band in his regular BBC broadcast. In 2018 Leak released 'Adrift,' a duet with New York's Dan Tepfer, a long-time collaborator of legendary veteran saxophonist Lee Konitz.

Nick Costley-White is one of the most in demand guitarists on the UK jazz scene, renowned for a deep understanding of the jazz tradition and repertoire, alongside a virtuosic technique and progressive approach to improvising. Nick is lucky enough to have performed with some of the most renowned jazz musicians in the country including Martin Speake, Stan Sulzmann, Gareth Lockrane, Lewis Wright, Steve Fishwick, Brandon Allen, Jeff Williams and Asaf Sirkis. Nick performs extensively throughout the UK as well as touring in Europe, Australia, China and South America. Nick’s debut album “Detour Ahead” was released in July 2018 to critical acclaim “Costley-White proves both his virtuosity and ability to write subtle and engaging tunes” (All About Jazz). Nick has also contributed to over a dozen studio albums as a sideman with a variety of jazz groups.

Jay Davis is an award-winning drummer and composer based in london. a proud recipient of the yamaha Jazz scholar prize, jay studied with drummers dave walsh, jeff williams and martin france at leeds college of music and the royal academy of music respectively. jay has performed throughout the uk, europe and asia at festivals and venues including Umbria jazz festival, Jimmy glass (Valencia), Jazzwerkstatt (Graz), Bimhuis (Amsterdam), die nato (Leipzig), Pizza express dean street (London) and paradox (Tilburg)

** **Doors open at 7pm, and music starts at 8pm.

Please book a ticket in advance. A limited number of seats are available due to current social distancing restrictions.

Karamel has a full fresh air ventilation system installed. **