Event

Anthony Strong and the Latvian Radio Big Band

Anthony Strong is a British singer and jazz pianist who has been called the new British jazz superstar by the UK media. His debut album Stepping Out reached number one on the charts of BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio London, Jazz FM as well as the US iTunes.

Strong has performed in four continents and 26 countries, visiting the most prestigious music festivals and concert halls such as Belem Cultural Center in Lisbon, Is Sanat Concert Hall in Istanbul, the legendary French festival Jazz in Marciac, The Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, Litchfield Festival in the US etc. He’s performed with such stars as Michael Bolton, Marti Pellow and Kyle Eastwood, and has been the warm up artist for the legendary American blues artist B. B. King.

Anthony Strong has formal training both in classical and jazz music, and he’s studied in three of UK’s leading music schools - the Whitgift School, the Purcell School of Music, as well as the prestigious Guildhall School of Music. Since 2013 the musician has been working under the wing of the iconic French record company Naïve.

“Great singer, great pianist” – jazz singer Jamie Cullum

“Real great music” – monarch of blues B. B. King

The Latvian Radio Big band was founded in 1966. After the reestablishment of the Latvian Independence, the Latvian Radio Big band – the only professional jazz orchestra in Latvia - was shut down in 1996. After its termination, the guiding force of the Latvian jazz scene became the festival Rīgas Ritmi which regularly organized projects involving a big band, collaborating with such local and foreign artists as Frank Foster, Dennis Rowland, James Morrison, Deodato and many others. A large contribution was also made by Kārlis Vanags who founded the big band school. After a 16-year break, with new ideas and fully energized, the Latvian Radio Big band was reborn. The restored jazz collective works on the basis of projects, collaborating with both Latvian and international artists. The renaissance of the jazz orchestra was lead by such Latvian jazz musicians as Māris Briežkalns, Kārlis Vanags, and Raimonds Pauls. The first performance of the newly re-established orchestra was with one of the leading jazz vocalists in the world Kurt Elling and the Italian jazz diva Roberta Gambarini. Today the collective is an integral part of the Latvian culture scene.

Participants

Anthony Strong, vocals and piano
Latvian Radio Big Band