Charlie Wood & Robin Aspland
Tonight sees the first live performance of this remarkable duo, featuring American jazz & blues vocalist Charlie Wood and one of the UK’s finest jazz pianists Robin Aspland.
Born & raised in Memphis, Tennessee, singer/songwriter/keyboardist Charlie Wood toured the world with blues guitar legend Albert King and even earned a "Brass Note" on the Beale St. Walk of Fame. Signed to Ben Sidran's "GoJazz" label in the 1990s, Charlie began recording & touring under his own name, often alongside labelmate Georgie Fame and sidemen like Bo Stief, Keith Copeland and Bob Rockwell. UK performances include London Jazz Festival's "Jazz Voice", BBC Radio 2's "Friday Night Is Music Night" and "Jools Holland Show," and sold-out concerts at Ronnie Scott's. Robin Aspland is widely regarded as one of the finest jazz pianists of his generation. His fluent and creative playing has been heard with an impressive array of highly respected artists including George Coleman, Steve Grossman, Bobby Watson, the Dankworth Generation Band, Cleo Laine, Ronnie Scott and Kenny Wheeler as well as with Georgie Fame and a lengthy stint with the iconic singer/songwriter Van Morrison.
Tonight these two master musicians bring this remarkable duo to the Club, to perform, as they describe it: “A programme that is likely to include jazz standards, show tunes, classics from the Great American Songbook, popular songs and the odd original composition, but all with an emphasis on spontaneity and improvisation. But it’s not just the solos that are being improvised - it’s arrangements, time signatures, tempos, entire approaches even. No arrangements, no charts, no rulebook…”. Charlie & Robin have amassed decades of performance experience in jazz, blues, R&B, soul, Americana, pop,& folk and the seasoning and expertise these two veteran improvisers bring to bear in this format is quite remarkable. A rare chance to catch this brilliant pairing.
"The male vocal performance of the year, delivered with equal parts of authority and yearning." Jazz Journal; “Remember the first time you heard Dylan, or Springsteen, or Costello, or Waits? Charlie Wood delivers that same jolt.” Jazz Times; “Charlie Wood embodies hepcat worldliness and barroom empathy; he’s got style but also the wisdom that gives it heftiness.” Jazz Review; “Aspland…plays some incredible solos” Jazz Views; “Aspland…brilliant…his mastery was obvious” London Jazz News; “Aspland stretching out in supremely melodic fashion” The Jazz Mann