The recipient of more than 10 different Awards singer/lyricist Norma Winstone MBE is widely considered to be one of the finest modern jazz singers the UK has produced. It was in the late 1970’s, when she joined pianist John Taylor and trumpeter Kenny Wheeler to form the trio Azimuth, described by The Times as “one of the most imaginatively conceived and delicately balanced of all contemporary…jazz groups“ that she established herself as an international artist. With well over 30 albums to her name since then she has cemented her place as one of the great European jazz singers. Also a very fine lyricist, she has written for the likes of Ralph Towner, Egberto Gismonti, Ivan Lins and Steve Swallow (‘Ladies in Mercedes‘). Kit Downes is a BBC Jazz Award-winning, Mercury Music Award-nominated artist who has toured the world playing piano and organ with the likes of Bill Frisell, ‘Empirical‘ & Andrew Cyrille. He has twice been awarded 1st place in Downbeat’s Critics Poll Rising Star for Organ and Keyboard and his albums have been released to much critical acclaim. Norma and Kit will this evening be performing material from their recently recorded ECM album “Outpost of Dreams”, where Norma brings her poetic sensibilities to new pieces by Kit as well as compositions by Carla Bley, Ralph Towner and John Taylor. “The esteemed vocalist and prolific pianist weave their sounds together in…exquisite songs and extraordinary empathy” Guardian “It is a joy to hear how the duo mix the traditional and contemporary in their own distinctive voices” Jazz Views