Chetham’s Big Band
The Stoller HallA matinee show from Chetham’s Big Band and jazz ensembles.
‘Classic songwriting worthy of the great American songbook, suffused with a skewed, haunted quality’ – Opera North
‘Nishla Smith’s original ballads sound like standards from the American Songbook … maudlin moments shoulder ecstatic reveries’ – London Jazz News
Featuring the work of Luca Shaw, Heather Chambers, Sarah Wilson, Steph Dutton, Joshua Rush, Molly O’Donoghue, Becky Mcgillivray, Danielle Rhoda, Freya Wysocki, Sophie Szabo, I M Pact Dance Collective, M&M Jazz, Black Dots Video
Friends with Monsters is a narrative album set over one troubled night, from dusk, ’till dawn. The album is accompanied by three connected music videos, made in collaboration with incredible northern artists, and a set of original visual artworks. Each piece of visual art responds to a song on the album, cycling the themes of insomnia and night thoughts through the imaginations of the more than 28 artists who have contributed to the project. Tonight, in her home city of Manchester, Nishla will perform the music of Friends with Monsters with her band, alongside an exhibition of the visual art and a screening of the three films.
“Classic songwriting worthy of the Great American Songbook, suffused with a skewed, haunted quality” Opera North
“Nishla Smith’s original ballads sound like standards from the American Songbook … maudlin moments shoulder ecstatic reveries…” London Jazz News
“She draws you into this world of hers, reflective and contemplative … and full of wonderment.” The Grouchy Critic
In partnership with NQ Jazz and The Yard.
