Shirley Smart and the Bezique Trio
Led by acclaimed cellist dynamo Shirley Smart, who performed at SoundCellar with her trio in 2023, this new project includes leading players from the London jazz scene and presents a vibrant showcase of acoustic jazz.
Bezique perform a variety of acoustic jazz and café music from around the world. Their repertoire includes music by Django Reinhardt, Richard Galliano, Bireli Lagrene, and others, as well as original compositions. They also incorporate an occasional rarely heard North African flavour to their repertoire, through the inclusion of works by the Algerian chaabi pianist Maurice el-Medioni, giving them a uniquely cosmopolitan sound on the UK gypsy jazz scene.
Shirley Smart is recognised as one of the UK’s most versatile and creative cellists – being equally at home and well versed in jazz and Middle Eastern music, as well as classical music. Originally trained under Raphael Wallfisch at the Guildhall School of Music, and Janos Starker in Paris, she subsequently moved to Jerusalem, where she remained for 10 years, studying and performing a wide variety of musical traditions from North Africa, Turkey and the Middle East. She was also highly active in the jazz scene, working with artists including Avishai Cohen, Omer Avital and Yasmin Levy. Since returning to the UK, she has quickly become known as one of the most creative cellists on the music scene and has worked with many leading jazz and world music groups, including Antonio Forcione, Mulatu Astatke, Gilad Atzmon, Neil Cowley, Julian Ferraretto, Robert Mitchell and Alice Zawadski.
Shirley is Professor of Musicianship and Improvisation at the Royal College of Music (RMC) in London, and a Lecturer in Music at Kent University. She also teaches at Trinity Laban and the RCM Junior Department. She is a visiting tutor for the National Youth Jazz Collective and an in-demand workshop leader.
She leads her own trio and sextet projects and performs in many other bands.
Peter Michaels is a multi-instrumentalist and composer for film, theatre and the concert platform. From classical and jazz roots, he has expanded his style across genres to become one of the most versatile composers in media today. Performing with musicians from around the world, he incorporates elements from Brazil, Eastern Europe, India, the Middle East and Africa into his compositions. His many live projects include Pocket Caravan, Captain Ska, the Hunter Gatherers and Melange.
Dominic Ingham is a composer of captivating original music and a pioneering violinist. He has toured extensively across the UK with his own quintet at venues and festivals such as Ronnie Scott’s, Kings Place, Love Supreme, Barbican and EFG London Jazz Festival. In 2020 he was nominated for a Parliamentary Jazz award and was also a semi-finalist in the renowned Zbigniew Seifert International Jazz Violin Competition.
Bezique’s debut album is expected in 2025.
Shirley Smart – Cello
Peter Michaels – Guitar
Dominic Ingham – Violin
Entry is £18 (no booking fee) in advance or £20 on the door (cash or card). U18s concession price £10
All advance ticket buyers will receive an exclusive link to a video of the evening’s performance, available for one month.
