about this event
This hugely talented duo return to Cranleigh Arts by popular demand. They explore a world of acoustic jazz, folk song, chamber music and improvisation with gorgeous warmth, charm and originality. Alice Zawadzki is a vocalist, violinist, songwriter and composer, with considerable repute as “a genuine original” (The Guardian). Rob Luft is an award-winning jazz guitarist from London whose virtuosity has been compared to that of six-string legends John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola & Paco De Lucia.
Rob Luft- “…an extraordinary talent!” ( Julian Joseph, BBC Radio 3)
Alice Zawadzki -“a voice of velvet suppleness and gutsy emotional power” (The Arts Desk).
Alice’s rich musical background and “whimsical hyper-creativity” (MOJO Magazine) create a sound which draws upon her early exposure to New Orleans jazz and gospel, an extensive classical training as a violinist, as well as continuous exploration of improvisation, poetry, and folk music from diverse traditions. Alice has enjoyed rare recognition as a singer from both the classical and jazz worlds, with a nomination for Singer of the Year from the Royal Philharmonic Society in 2024, and several nominations as British Singer of the Year from both the Jazz FM Awards and the Parliamentary Jazz Awards. Her long-awaited third studio album Za Górami, was released by the iconic ECM Records in September 2024. A collaboration with pianist Fred Thomas, and bassist Misha Mullov-Abbado, they inhabit their own stylistic realm which encompasses Mediterranean folk song, chamber music, improvisation, and the world of acoustic jazz.
Concert highlights for Rob include performances with artists including Django Bates, The Cinematic Orchestra, Arve Henriksen, & Manu Katché. Rob is a regular member of a multitude of some of Britain’s finest modern jazz groups, such as The John Surman Quartet, Byron Wallen’s Four Corners & the Iain Ballamy Quintet. Additionally, his playing has been documented on a wide variety of albums over the past five years on famed jazz labels such as ECM Records, Edition Records, Ropeadope, Linn Records, amongst others.