Much Ado about Jazz

After years on the road Chris and Al lost track of people describing jazz as aloof, self-indulgent, even lacking in any real melodic content.
Tonight they revisit some much-loved, mostly jazz classics and present them with an energy that not only involves the audience, but also offers an insight into how jazz musicians work. Add to that a large dose of dry humour and you start to get a feel for what their performance is all about.

“An exciting jazz duo whose comical timing is as good as their musical timing”
“Jazz fans relished in the exciting renditions of the different standards and yet the non-jazz fans were still completely engaged in the music”
“I dislike jazz, but I loved that!”
“Al and Chris had us in fits of laughter but not because of the music”
“They managed to convert an audience who were sceptical about improvisation to being jazz lovers by the end of the night!”
“The playing was sparkling!

Starring Chris Gumbley on various wind instruments and accompanied by Al Gurr on the piano, ‘Much Ado’ is a duo show that is a little bit different. They are experienced session musicians, performers and educators. They understand the importance of audience engagement which underpins the concept behind their show, ‘Much Ado About Jazz’.

This show is aimed at people who do not necessarily like jazz (as well as those who do!). They revisit some much-loved (mostly) jazz classics and present unique and exciting arrangements of them in such a way that the audience not only feel more involved, but also gain an insight into how jazz musicians work on stage. The engagement is audience centric with an outcome of delivering a community event without compromising on the professional performance. If you add to that a large dose of dry humour you’ll start to get a feel for what our performance is all about.