Verão! (ft Helen Abbey)
With two albums and hundreds of gigs behind her, East Anglian singer-songwriter
Helen Abbey wanted to look to different influences and styles in
preparation for her third album. Drawing on numerous sources, including
the timeless classic songs of bossa nova pioneer Tom Jobim, Helen
teamed up with Latin guitarist Dave Burrluck and began writing new
material.
We realised very quickly that we had enough songs for an album and
we wanted to involve other musicians to colour our sketches," says
Helen. "We have a wealth of great players in this area but there
are two musicians who for me stand out: drummer and percussionist
Alex Best and keyboard player Mathew Keane. As soon as we began
working on the material together we realised this was very much
a band project."
Catch Verão! (ft Helen Abbey) at numerous venues over the coming
months - look out for their first album to be released later this
year. For gig news and updates go to Gigs.
Band Biographies...
Helen Abbey (vocals):
Despite graduating with a Diploma in Performing Arts, Helen chose
a different route to success: as a jazz singer. Her first
two critically acclaimed albums - 'Simply Me' and 'Second
Time Around' - have led to international collaborations and
tours and numerous sessions for BBC radio. Her music is loved
and played worldwide: from Brazil to Denmark, Japan to the
Philippines.
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Dave Burrluck (guitar):
Dave's love of the guitar has taken him on a lifelong quest. From being a pop wannabe in the seventies, chart
success in the eighties and an appearance on the Old Grey Whistle
Test to the hard-rocking success as one of the UK's foremost slide
guitarists, his journey now finds him writing and performing with
his first love: the Spanish guitar.
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Alex Best (drums and percussion):
After achieving his music degree and studying with the likes of
Troy Miller, Trevor Tomkins and Craig Blundell, Alex has become
an in demand drummer for many artists in a variety of genres. His
vast performance experience includes TV work, European & UK tours,
numerous albums and session recordings, live radio broadcasts and
music video, along with appearances in theatres, clubs and festivals
all over the UK.
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Matthew Keane (keyboards):
Matt is the definitive hardworking professional musician. He's played with far too many
bands to mention here, both in the UK and Europe. When he's not
gigging he'll be found teaching music and practising his other passion,
the violin. He's appeared on numerous UK radio sessions, supported
Kool and the Gang at the Hammersmith Odeon… and likes a drink, which
is where he met Helen: playing oh-so cool jazz in a wine bar.
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