Spiers and Boden

We are delighted to welcome back legendary guitarist John Etheridge, this time accompanied by extravagantly talented singer Vimala Rowe. They will be featuring numbers from their much-lauded album, ‘Out of the Sky’, as well as other pieces. A fortuitous meeting in North London brought them together and they have developed a highly personal repertoire from an eclectic mix of music, original and traditional.  Both performers have taken from a wide range of influences.  Etheridge has over the years worked in classical, jazz and progressive rock, from Soft Machine to joining forces with such names as Stephan Grapelli, Nigel Kennedy, John Williams and Chris Garrick.  Rowe’s span seems almost instinctive, effortlessly absorbing and blending the worlds of all the great soul and jazz singers into a personal mix, including Indian classical, African folk, and Syrian Aramaic.  She has performed as Billie Holliday in the musical Cafe Society, worked with Paco Pena’s flamenco troupe, and has many original compositions to her name.

One of the defining features of the duo’s work is the commitment and passion of their delivery.  Rowe is a fiery performer by any standards, yet the paring down to just two brings intimacy as well as drama, from the big effect to the delicate gesture. The pieces are carefully chosen to surprise, but above all to take the audience on an emotional journey through joy and pain, sombre and swinging, dark and light: a real musical journey.

“John Etheridge has explored many genres, styles and legacies in his career, but his curiosity never dimmed, and in Vimala Rowe he has found a singer of quite astonishing versatility and adaptability”  – London Jazz News

‘Out of the Sky’ review: “A recording that simmers with a quiet intensity.  The performances are emotive and tightly focussed, often beautiful but infused with a gentle, almost spiritual power.” – The Jazz Man

Tickets £12.50 (no concessions)