Acknowledged as one of the UK’s most versatile and creative cellists, trailblazing cellist and composer Shirley Smart brings her new sextet project to this year's EFG London Jazz Festival. Drawing on a background of 10 years living in Jerusalem and working with the overlapping worlds of jazz, Arabic, Turkish and North African music, Shirley is equally at home and well versed in all these traditions, and her music draws upon this rich tapestry of influences to create an evening of vibrant melodies, grooves, swing and lively improvisation. 

Showcasing her unique ability to explore the potential of the cello in a jazz context, performing multiple roles as bassist, lead and soloist on the instrument, and featuring also some of the UK’s leading lights in world-influenced jazz – John Crawford (Ola Onabule) on piano, James (Mulatu Astatke, Hackney Colliery Band, Heliocentrics) on sax/flute, Tim Quicke (Lousie Balkwill, Giles Thornton) on trumpet and Michele Montoli (Alina Bzhezhinska) on bass and Demi Garcia Sabat (John Dankworth, Nicolas Meier) on drums this dynamic group promises an evening of inspired music-making.