Nubya Garcia and Nu Civilisation Orchestra to perform Stan Getz's ‘Focus’ at Royal Festival Hall
Wednesday, August 9, 2023
The sax star will be backed by the Tomorrow’s Warriors affiliated jazz orchestra for a unique reworking of Getz’s classic jazz-meets-classical masterpiece
Tomorrow’s Warriors has announced that its multi award-winning alumna and tenor saxophonist Nubya Garcia will perform alongside the shapeshifting Nu Civilisation Orchestra (NCO) for an exploration of Stan Getz’s 1962 masterpiece, Focus, at the Royal Festival Hall, the Southbank Centre on 15 September.
This will be a rare chance to hear Garcia on stage with the NCO’s 32-piece string orchestra, directed by Peter Edwards, which makes its debut for this special concert. Getz was already a heavyweight on the jazz scene with a 25-year career to his name when he approached acclaimed arranger and composer Eddie Sauter and commissioned him to write a string-led suite for him in what would become a ground-breaking collaboration. Sauter recognised Getz’s prowess as an improvisor and wrote the music for string orchestra and rhythm section that left space in which Getz could extemporise.
The Focus recording also featured orchestration that had a rhythmic drive and harmonic sophistication unmatched at the time, with Getz delivering a stream of melodic invention that’s adventurous yet grounded in the golden era of jazz.
For more info visit www.southbankcentre.co.uk