Los Angeles-based pianist/composer, Brian Clemens to release live album from recent London show
Wednesday, January 17, 2024
The Southern California-based pianist/arranger/composer is releasing an exciting live recording of his October 2023 London concert
Southern California-based pianist/arranger/composer, Brian Clemens made his UK Performance debut in October 2023 for a successful and energetic show at Soho’s legendary Pizza Express jazz club. Helping lead the way was London’s own, Francesca Confortini on vocals. Filling out the rhythm section were UK jazz veterans - Pat Illingworth (Drums) and Ferg Ireland (Upright Bass).
The live album, Brian Clemens, Live in London Ft. Francesca Confortini will be released on all streaming platforms in the coming weeks.
Over the course of two sets, the quartet performed an exhilarating and entertaining set of creative arrangements of standards and original music - including several original songs and arrangements from Clemens’ recent album release, Beneath the Blue.
Some highlights from the first set include a dazzling version of the well-known Jazz Standard, ‘I Thought About You’, followed by the debut performance of Clemens’ own, ‘Precarious’, a bouncy, catchy, and light-hearted swing tune that falls right into the style of the Great American Songbook. What follows is a gorgeously sung version of Hoagy Carmichael’s ‘Stardust’ (containing some beautiful solo lines from Ferg Ireland) and a soulful and R&B version of The Beatles’ ‘Long and Winding Road’.
Closing out the first set is the debut performance of ‘Domani’. With the music composed by Clemens and lyrics penned by Confortini (in her own native Italian), Domani is a slow romantic number that contains a hauntingly nostalgic melody that captures the essence of a vintage Italian love song.
Highlights from set two include a guest appearance by another London vocal powerhouse, Helena Debono, a high energy, a passionate and drawn-out performance of ‘A Spot in the Glen’ – a Clemens original and love letter to Scotland, and an R&B/funk version of Stevie Wonder’s ‘Lately’. Finally, the band closes the show with Carole King's ‘Natural Woman’ to a full house of cheering Londoners.
Brian Clemens, Live in London Ft. Francesca Confortini will be released on all streaming platforms later this month.
For more information visit: www.brianclemensmusic.com and www.francescaconfortini.com
