Jazz breaking news: Cleveland Watkiss brings jazz to Cutty Sark Studio Theatre
Monday, December 2, 2013
Leading UK jazz vocalist Cleveland Watkiss will be the first jazz artist to perform as part of a brand new live events programme in the Studio Theatre on historic ship the Cutty Sark, on Thursday 12 December.
This initial gig comes ahead of the Cutty Sark Studio Theatre’s official launch early next year with future plans mooted to include jazz and folk gigs as part of the core programme of this innovative space, alongside stand-up comedy, theatre and classical music. The studio theatre is located in the lower hold of the Cutty Sark (pictured below) where, a century ago, precious cargoes of tea and wool were stacked. During the daytime, the hold contains displays of tea chests and other artefacts relating to the ship’s extraordinary history. In the evening, however, the central portion can convert into an eclectic performing arts space. The ship is located in Greenwich, south east London and is part of Royal Museums Greenwich.
Cleveland Watkiss is known for his wide vocal range and genre-hopping CV that includes work with the cream of the UK and international jazz scene – including Art Blakey and Wynton Marsalis – and he appears here in his acclaimed solo setting that seamlessly links many musical styles from classical to African songs, through to bebop improvisations and choral rhapsodies. He brings all this together in his Vocal Suite performances that utilise a loop pedal and vocal effects, which allow him to create a one man orchestra of beats, basslines and many interweaving layers of harmony and rhythm to create a unique vocal soundscape.
– Monika Demmler
For more info go to www.rmg.co.uk