Becca Wilkins' Rêverie

Presented by: Jazz at The Oxford

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0	LONDON: The Parakeet
P	Monday 11th September, 2023
N	8:00pm

Event information

Becca Wilkins - Voice
Olly Chalk - Piano
Sam Ingvorsen - Bass
Billy Pod - Drums

Becca Wilkins’ latest project rêverie, is a collection of French Chanson reimagined with her quartet of Olly Chalk, Sam Ingvorsen and Billy Pod.

Rêverie evokes an alternate reality of the chanson made popular by Jacques Brel, Yves Montand and Edith Piaf. Featuring classics such as ‘Sous le Ciel de Paris’ and ‘La Bohème’, Becca brings her Francophilia into sharp focus with this music. The collection exemplifies her skills as a song interpreter, band leader and improviser, with a set that is both brooding and mysterious; vulnerable and atmospheric.

This performance introduces audiences to chanson from across the decades, some well-known, some obscure, each piece remoulded to highlight Becca’s individual jazz styling in both arranging and improvising. Expect haunting ballads alongside runaway waltzes, intricate counterpoint and masterful interplay. An assured and powerfully communicative performer, Rêverie is Becca’s most stylised project to date, as she brings her ‘other worldliness’ (Jazzwise Magazine) to audiences across the UK.

Vocalist Becca Wilkins is a versatile musician with an assured sense of style and a poised approach to her music. Previous projects include piano-vocal duo wilkins/harris, ‘a real energy and joy in their performances and I believe that they will always captivate audiences' (Tony Dudley-Evans; Cheltenham Jazz Festival, B:Music); Gestalt ‘intimate lyrics and vocal textures, effortlessly shifting from abrasive electronic soundscapes to gentle piano textures’ (Rohit Jepegnanam; Sofar Sounds); and rouquine ‘her...creative approach to arrangement & production combine powerfully to draw us into her rich and distinctive songwriting world. evocative and imaginative...’ (Oli Rockberger; Laura Mvula, Jordan Rakei, Becca Stevens). She is also a regular collaborator with other ensembles including London Vocal Project, the Olivia Murphy Jazz Orchestra and the Maria Grapsa Quintet.