New Focus - Jazz Concert at 7.30

New Focus Duo: The Classical Connection

STEVENSON: Air in D Minor, Greenpark

KERN: All The Things You Are

STRAYHORN: Take The A Train, Chelsea Bridge

LISZT: Liebestraum No.3

STEVENSON: Leonard's Lament

GERSHWIN: Nice Work if You Can Get It, They Can't Take That Away From Me

SATIE: Gymnopedie No.1

DAVIS: Flamenco Sketches

PORTER: Love For Sale

STEVENSON: Flora

Euan Stevenson, piano

Konrad Wieszniewski, saxophone

Award-winning piano-saxophone team Euan Stevenson and Konrad Wiszniewski give fascinating insights into the relationship between classical music and jazz.

In this superb, informal presentation, two of the UK’s leading jazz musicians improvise a Bach-style reinvention of a well-known standard and an arrangement of the Duke Ellington Orchestra’s theme tune, Take the A Train in the style of a Mozart sonata, among other delights.

As well as being a superb pianist, Stevenson is a composer who has premiered works on both sides of the Atlantic and whose recent commissions include an arrangement of the Ukrainian national anthem for renowned violin virtuoso Pinchas Zukerman and the English Chamber Orchestra. He is also the co-composer, arranger and pianist with the multi-award-winning singer, Georgia Cecile.

Saxophonist Wiszniewski is one of the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra’s star soloists and twice winner of the Best Instrumentalist title at the Scottish Jazz Awards. His improvisations are always potent, soulful and exciting and have led to him being in-demand as a session player across a range of styles including pop, soul, folk and jazz. Away from New Focus and the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra he features with the current Jazz FM favourites and Scottish Album of the Year 2024 nominees, Mama Terra.