Alison Burns

Surrounded by the surfeit of little girl voices prevalent in jazz today, it's almost a relief to encounter a mature but flexible voice like Alison Burns’. Beyond the vocal quality is imaginative delivery and interpretation that comes from experience in life as well as performance. The way she weighs and colours the lyrics in her singing place her in rare company. At home in any setting, from festival and theatre stages to small, intimate venues, Alison Burns never fails to touch the audience with her soul-stirring performances.

Born in Dundee, Scotland, Alison grew up drawing inspiration from the recordings of the jazz greats like Sarah Vaughn, Nat King Cole and Ella Fitzgerald. Her interpretation of songs draws on her varied life which has seen her work as an engineer, draftswoman, actress and more recently a highly regarded lawyer specialising in entertainment lawyer.

In demand as much abroad as in the UK she has performed concerts in Tokyo, Nashville, New York, Cannes, Capri and Shanghai as well as exclusive events for the likes of Virgin Airlines and Sir Terence Conran. As well as appearing at many of the main UK jazz festivals she has also performed on both national TV and radio and recently guested alongside Martin Taylor, Gallagher & Lyle and Deacon Blue.

Her new album is due out in 2006 on the P3 Music label accompanied by European touring dates.

Marcus Ford has performed all over Europe with a number of ensembles most notably as rhythm guitarist with the swing group "The Hot Club" which features Alex Yellowlees (jazz violin) and Nigel Clarke (lead guitar). His trio’s driving rhythm playing is complemented by his intimate solo work which provides a luxurious and self contained sound which is his trademark. His influences include guitarists Baden Powell, Gene Bertoncini and Ike Isaacs. Most recent appearances include Shetland Folk Festival, Moods Jazz Club Zurich, and live broadcasts for BBC Radio 3 and BBC Radio Scotland.