JAMES MORRISON AND PATTI AUSTIN – A celebration of Ella and Louis With WASO Big Band Horns

Legendary Grammy award-winning vocalist Patti Austin and Australia’s own trumpet maestro James Morrison come together with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra’s Big Band Horns, to perform timeless hits from the Great American Songbook of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong.

Crown Theatre Perth will come alive on June 9, as jazz royalty is celebrated in one special evening. Walk down memory lane with Ella Fitzgerald’s famous How High The Moon and A Tisket A Tasket, performed by the beautiful vocals of Patti Austin. The stage will be shared with James Morrison as he pays tribute to innovator and ambassador of jazz, Louis Armstrong. The pair reunite after their last performance together at the Montreux Jazz Festival with Quincy Jones.

This year marks the centennial of the First Lady of Song, Ella Fitzgerald’s birth. This is an exciting
opportunity to enjoy two of the biggest international jazz stars on the one stage, paying homage to the great musicians of the 1950’s Jazz scene. Austin has dedicated the past decade to celebrating Lady Ella, as she believes “there will never be another Ella”. “You get one of those every century! She put her stamp on so much material, which was difficult to do because everyone from her time — Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughn, Tony Bennett — recorded the same set of songs. So for Ella to have so many of her tunes recognizable for her specific performances of them was really something to pull off, and she did.”

See the next generation of Morrison talent, as sons Harry Morrison on the bass and William Morrison on the Guitar, join their father for this not to be missed performance.

Patti Austin Bio –

A consummate artist of the first order, Patti Austin celebrates an incredible sixth decade in the music industry with the release of “Ella: Now & Then,” her second recorded tribute to the legendary Ella Fitzgerald, following her 2002 Grammy-nominated best-selling album, “For Ella.”

Featuring some of the pioneering vocalist’s classic material, “Ella: Now & Then” finds Grammy-winner Austin (who declares she’s “busier than ever!”) lending her finely-honed craft to treasures from the vast Fitzgerald legacy including songs like “Mack the Knife”, “April in Paris”, “Sing Me A Swing Song” and “Lullaby Of Birdland.”

In the past decade, it’s in the world of jazz (a genre that is close to her heart) that Patti has been building a solid international audience: aside from a decade-and-a-half of performing live the songs from “For Ella” worldwide, Patti was justifiably awarded a 2008 Grammy Award for “Best Jazz Vocal Performance” for her best-selling Top 10 Jazz album, “Avant-Gershwin.”

See more at: http://pattiaustin.com/about/#sthash.PVZyiLs3.dpuf

James Morrison Bio-

The name “James Morrison” is known throughout the world for his sheer brilliance as a jazz musician and an all round entertainer. He is constantly on the move, touring everywhere and anywhere fine music has an audience. His recordings are best sellers and James works with the cream of the world’s best performers. Ray Brown called him “The Genius” and Dizzy Gillespie called him “One of The Best” but Wynton Marsalis summed it up: “Man, James Morrison can play!”

James Morrison is, by anybody’s standard, a virtuoso in the true sense of the word. Besides the trumpet, this multi-instrumentalist also plays piano, all the brass, saxophones, and double bass.

At the age of seven, he was given his first instrument, at nine he formed his first band and at thirteen he was playing professionally in nightclubs. His international career developed just as quickly. At age sixteen James debuted in the USA with a breathtaking concert at the Monterey Jazz Festival.

With interests so broad and a career so filled with highlights it seems that James Morrison must have done just about everything he could want to do – but not so…

When asked, “What is there left to do?” James’ reply is typically “This is just the warm up!”