Joanna Strand & Becca Cooper – in cabaret – Hampshire 12/12/24(Romano Viazzani on accordion)

Joanna Strand and Romano Viazzani

“On An Evening Like This” Thursday 12th December  7.30pm

The Yard, Chilton Manor Farm, Chilton Candover, Alresford, SO24 9TX at 19.30

Lose yourself in the excitement and glamour of the jazz age with sensational duo Becka Cooper and Joanna Strand and their phenomenal band who will transport you to another time with well-loved classics of the jazz age.

A glamorous speakeasy dress code is optional – the music will do the rest.

If you are more or fewer than 4 in your party expect to be seated at tables of 4.

Joanna Strand enjoys a career in jazz clubs across the globe including Birdland and 54 Below, New York, 54 Riv’, Paris, Clamores, Madrid, The Crazy Coqs and Dean Street Jazz Club, London, and has appeared on stage in numerous plays and musicals including Phantom of the Opera in the West End and Bath Theatre Royal’s Masterclass.

Becka Cooper is an opera singer turned cabaret singer. She has sung roles such as Cio Cio San (Madame Butterfly), Violetta (La Traviata), Tatyana (Eugene Onegin) for Grange Park Opera, Longborough Festival Opera, Opera East, English Chamber Opera, Opera de Bauge & The Barga Opera Festival but now prefers to grab a microphone in cabaret venues such as Crazy Coqs and The Pheasantry. Most of the time she’s to be found in her kitchen, cooking up a storm for The Grange Hampshire & The Grange Festival, teaching Bounce, and looking after her 4 dogs, 3 horses & 6 guinea fowl.

The Band:

John Bailey – Piano
Nick Pini – Double Bass
Jason Reeve – Drums
Romano Viazzani – Accordion

John Bailey – The pianist, composer, musical director and composer John completed a postgraduate masters degree in jazz performance at Guildhall School of Music, where he trained as a jazz pianist, and has also completed fellowship diploma (FRSM) in classical piano performance, when he specialised in the work of Ravel.
In 2009, John released the album Silent Compositions. The pieces were originally commissioned as a musical contemplation for Colin Wilson’s photographic exhibition of the same name, with the work first being performed in 2007 at the Derby Museum & Art Gallery. The album is currently available on Bandcamp.
He has performed all over the world with jazz and classical musicians.

Nick Pini – Although coming from a family of classical musicians, Nick focused on jazz and improvisation, studying at Trinity College of Music in London. Quickly branching out into other genres after leaving Nick has since worked with some of the UK’s and the world’s most well known artists as a session musician and a touring band member (Laura Marling, Ethan Johns, Nick Mulvey, Tom Jones, Mary-Chapin Carpenter, Gilbert O’Sullivan, Seth Lakeman, Ramin Karimloo, Will Butterworth) whilst keeping a keen hand in the UK’s rich and diverse jazz scene. He has also recently moved into roles as MD and in string arranging and production.

Jason Reeve – A Graduate of The Guildhall School of Music and a student of renowned drum tutor Bob Armstrong, Jason is a highly sought after drummer and percussionist with a wide range of experience performing and recording Jazz, Pop, Rock, Latin, Rock, Country, Funk and Drum and Bass.
As well as playing drums he is also happy to provide backing vocals, tuned percussion and keys live and for recordings. He also composes and records his own compositions at his home studio just outside London.
He has led a house band for a BBC series (BBC Scotland) and recorded sessions for BBC Radio 2 and Radio 6 Music and he has also been lucky enough to record and play with some other great artists including Nathanial Facey, John Etheridge, Nigel Price, Kansas Smitty’s Band, Jackie Tate, Joanna Strand, Dave Green, Jay Phelps, Theo Jackson, Jono McCleery, Quentin Collins and Brandon Allen. He has performed in New York, Bahrain, across Europe and at major Festivals in the UK. Some venues he has had the pleasure of playing at include The Barbican Centre, Ronnie Scott’s, 54 Below (New York), The Jazz Cafe, The Royal Festival Hall, Scala, The Prince of Wales Theatre, Pizza Express Jazz Club in Dean Street, Koko.

Romano Viazzani – is an accordionist and composer who started his professional career as a danceband-leader for which he wrote and arranged music. He has written music abroad range of music from documentary soundtracks for TV to songs for musicals, and from didactic pieces for accordion to songs for various singers. His largest work is his accordion concerto Valceno- Concerto for Accordion and Orchestra, which he premiered with the BBC Concert Orchestra and was broadcast on BBC Radio 3. As a player he is comfortable in any situation having played with jazz septet Gilad Atzmon and the Orient House Ensemble for 5 years, appeared in several theatre-pit orchestras as well in the The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the RLPO 10-10 Ensemble and The London Concertante. Numerous appearances in theatre too both in the pit and on stage as well as TV appearances all over the world including BBC’s Andrew Marr Show, accompanying Sir Bryn Terfel.