Giants Of Jazz Piano

Our ever-popular jazz night explores the many styles of jazz piano over 100 years with a swinging 8-piece band led by world-class pianist and jazz scholar Martin Litton.

 Commencing with Scott Joplin and Ragtime in St. Louis through to New Orleans, where Jelly Roll Morton combined Rags, Blues and Latin music to crown himself the Originator of Jazz and Stomps. Thence to Harlem stride and the music of James P Johnson, Willie 'The Lion' Smith and 'Fats' Waller. 

 The Chicago scene of the late 1920s and early 1930s is represented by the boogie-woogie of Meade 'Lux' Lewis and the revolutionary pianism of Earl 'Fatha' Hines.

 The pivotal roles of Duke Ellington and Count Basie are acknowledged as a prelude to the Swing Era, a period that rejoiced in the talents of Teddy Wilson, Mary Lou Williams, Nat Cole, Erroll Garner and the great Art Tatum.  The programme ends with two pioneers of bebop, Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk. 

The Jazz Repertory Companyfounded by Richard Pite is the UK's premier producer of authentic live recreations of the greatest music in jazz history. Over the last twenty years they have been presenting a wide variety of shows featuring the UK's finest jazz musicians including “100 Years of Jazz in 99 Minutes”,  and “Benny Goodman Orchestra's 1938 Carnegie Hall Concert”.

Booking info: https://www.sarrattfestivalofmusic.co.uk/booking