Jo Harrop & John Bailey [ Swinging Jazz Standards]

“Her voice is delicious. When she sings, she moves me.” – Iggy Pop, BBC 6 Music

‘A rare mix of delicacy and boldness. Sheer perfection.’ – The Guardian

Jo Harrop and John Bailey will be joining us fresh from their tour in the USA at Dizzys Lincoln Centre New York and SF Jazz San Francisco. Playing Jo’s original music and a selection of swinging jazz standards, including new material from a forthcoming album produced by Larry Klein.

Jo Harrop

Born in Durham and raised on a musical diet of Nina Simone and Aretha Franklin, Jo Harrop moved to London and quickly established herself as one of the most unmistakable voices in British jazz. Having signed to London-based jazz label, Lateralize Records, she released Weathering The Storm, her debut with guitarist, Jamie McCredie, and The Heart Wants, which has received rave reviews everywhere from The Times to The Guardian, been played extensively on BBC 6 Music, BBC Radio 2 and Jazz FM and is currently riding high in the US Jazz Album Charts.

Beyond the mellifluous perfection of her chocolate and cream voice, there is always a beautifully bruised intimacy at the very heart of Jo Harrop’s music. It’s almost as if she’s staring directly into your soul when she sings. This may only be her second LP, yet she sounds as if she’s already lived a thousand lifetimes.

John Bailey

John studied for an MA in Jazz performance in 2010 and has since been working as a guitarist for singer Russell Watson and Aled Jones as well as other renowned artists. John Bailey currently writes for film and TV individually and in partnership with renowned film composer Mike Moran on behalf of Chelsea Pictures. John Bailey recently performed music from the CODA soundtrack with Emilia Jones as part of her CODA promotional screenings for the Academy Awards, BAFTAs and Oscars. He played guitar for several weeks on Sting’s ’The Last Ship’ and has numerous TV performances including Jane McDonald and Songs of Praise. He performs in his own classical guitar project with South African guitarist Jonathan Crossley and his own extreme band Utopia, which you can find through the ‘Audio’ section of this site.