Promoters

A resounding success… a brilliantly thought through programme superbly performed.  Feedback from audience members was overwhelmingly positive.  SHEFFIELD CONCERTS

A fantastic evening with a sell-out crowd and an experience that our audience won’t forget. Derek was spectacular as were Ruthie and the musicians. CHESTER PERFORMS

It was wonderfully received by our audiences. OXFORD PLAYHOUSE

Many thanks for a brilliant evening. We’ve had fantastic audience feedback and I really enjoyed the night. MARINE THEATRE, LYME REGIS

The performance was wonderful and the audience reaction was great. The whole event was a tour de force and we loved it. SHOREHAM WORDFEST

Thank you for the opportunity to welcome such a great show.  It was a resounding success. LEDBURY POETRY FESTIVAL

It was a great show – truly memorable.  I used to work for Faber Music, so nicely familiar but with a twist of brilliance.  DIRECTOR, NECM YORK

Press

Very intriguing arrangements delivered in the most astonishing way….faithful to Britten but with such an original touch. A true experience.  Ian Skelly, BBC Radio 3 Breakfast

Fantastic, very beautiful. A leap of creative faith… a living, organic thing. LIVE REVIEW – Suzy Klein, In Tune, BBC Radio 3

An incredible night of WH Auden’s poetry and Benjamin Britten turned into jazz.  LIVE REVIEW, Mika Ross-Southall, The Times

These are musicians whose depth of understanding of Britten’s music allows them to take liberties and freedoms with it whilst still retaining its original essence…The group manage to walk the line perfectly between keeping true Britten and putting their own personal stamp on it….. There are many intriguing and wonderful things about this album. CD REVIEW – Rob Edgar London Jazz News (click for full review)

This project takes Benjamin Britten in his centenary year and transports it into the jazz arena, but being faithful to the original in an extraordinary way. The astonishing thing about the album is how deeply they’ve absorbed the idiom of Britten and made it work in the jazz context. CD REVIEW – Sebastian Scotney – www.theartsdesk.com

I was sceptical at first but within a few minutes it was obvious this was going to be something special. There were so many good things that it is hard to know where to start….a sensitive vocal performance by Ruthie Culver, a masterclass in clarity of diction and the vocal gymnastics necessary on some of the songs reminded me of Cleo Laine…  supported throughout by stunning piano accompaniment by Dan Hewson and by the coolest drumming I have heard in years by Andrea Trillo… Great concert. LIVE REVIEW – Peter Ninnim – www.bebopspokenhere.com (click for full review)

An electrifying collection of songs, newly interpreted under the title Look Stranger… an exciting night.. sung with passion and articulated with total clarity by Ruthie Culver. My hair stood on end and the skin on my forehead tightened…. I must acknowledge the extraordinary talent of Dan Hewson on piano… The evening contained some of the best jazz playing I have experienced. LIVE REVIEW – www.tyneout.com (click for full review)

Ruthie and her quartet breathed new life into a selection of collaborations between the two legendary British artists…interpreted by these five jazz musicians with often spellbinding results. … expertly remoulded Britten’s compositions for a jazz setting.
LIVE REVIEW – Liam Wilkinson, Northern Sky (click for full review)