James Morrison brings that swing back to Christchurch

James Morrison brings that swing back to Christchurch

Australian virtuoso James Morrison is returning to Christchurch with his vast array of instruments to perform an encyclopaedic repertoire of jazz with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra.

The CSO Presents: James Morrison A to Z of Jazz concert at Horncastle Arena on April 11 is held in association with the Cavell Leitch New Zealand International Jazz & Blues Festival, now in its 16th year.

"I’m thrilled to be returning to work with the CSO,” said Morrison. “If you’re a fan of the CSO you have to be there. If you’re a fan of jazz, you have to be there. And if you’re a fan of neither, you really have to be there ‘cause you’ll leave as a fan of both."

Rising jazz star Hetty Kate, a Melbourne-based vocalist, will be joining Morrison in a show that will feature the giants in the history of Jazz, including Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Miles Davis.

Morrison, now 51, has been performing professionally since he was 13 years old. After his US debut at age 19 at the Monterey Jazz Festival in California, he went on to perform with legends like BB King and Ray Charles.

He broke the Guinness World Record in 2013 when he performed with the world’s biggest orchestra, comprised of 7224 musicians, at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium.

He recently established the James Morrison Academy of Music which is dedicated to teaching jazz.

In 2011, reviewer Chris May wrote in US magazine All About Jazz that English-born Hetty Kate was “a charismatic and technically gifted vocalist whose gorgeous timbre carries echoes of Peggy Lee, June Christy and Julie London”. Kate made her debut performance in 1997 and since then, she has gone on to release six albums and been featured as a guest artist on many others.

“We’re really looking forward to James Morrison returning to perform with us once again,” said CSO chief executive Gretchen La Roche. “He’s an incredible musician with an infectious love of jazz that just leaps off the stage. We’re thrilled that he’s bringing his good friend Hetty Kate with him too and we know that together they’re going to create some really special moments.”

Tickets for the concert are now on sale through Ticketek.

Visit cso.co.nz/james-morrison-z-jazz-2015 for more information.

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