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O COME, O COME, EMMANUEL – FREEDOM’S ON THE WAY’ (Original Music and lyrics – Pete Churchill)
THE LONDON VOCAL PROJECT (featured soloist – Ayesha Pike)
Every year at about this time LVP usually celebrates Christmas with a sell-out concert, often at Ronnie Scott’s or, more recently, at the Pizza Express Jazz Club where they currently have a residency. This year, however, given the current circumstances, all activities have moved on-line and LVP have decided to release a Christmas video and single. They are famous for breathing new life into traditional material and this track is no exception.
The melody of the well-known Advent carol ‘O Come, O Come Emmanuel’ may well be a piece of old plainchant, but the words are those of a freedom song. The text speaks of slavery and exile and the prophecy of freedom to come. Pete Churchill has taken this timeless theme and transformed a humble carol into a joyous and optimistic celebration of freedom and hope for a better world.
The track brings together the 24 singers of LVP with rhythm, brass and string sections drawn from the UK’s session musicians, and recorded in isolation during the November lockdown.
It is released today, December 10th 2020 to coincide United Nations Human Rights Day and all proceeds will go to Amnesty International.
ABOUT US…
The London Vocal Project (LVP) is one of the U.K.’s leading contemporary vocal ensembles specialising in Jazz and Groove music. Under the expert guidance of composer/arranger Pete Churchill, they have been involved in many groundbreaking collaborations over the last twelve years, performing with Bobby McFerrin, recording with Kenny Wheeler, and Norma Winstone and, most recently, working with the late Jon Hendricks in his groundbreaking Miles Ahead project in New York. With a follow-up recording of Kenny Wheeler’s vocal music planned – this time with Dave Holland – it is clear that the choir continues from strength to strength.
WHAT ELSE DO WE DO?
LVP has always had a strong connection with community music and education and in fact, this has been part of their manifesto from the very start. In addition to the choir’s regular involvement with Pete’s mammoth London schools’ projects, every choir member is heavily involved with teaching, running choirs of their own and fostering countless educational projects throughout the city.
It is clear therefore that, apart from being a world-class vocal ensemble (recently nominated at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards), LVP has developed into a vibrant apprenticeship and skill-sharing collective whose influence is felt far and wide. END OF PRESS RELEASE
Full credits (screenshot)
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