Concerto (Austria)

★★★★

The pianist Alan Broadbent is one of those musicians who have done so many great things and are yet still so little known. Most people know him as an entrancing, swinging pianist but probably only a few as an ingenious composer. And this album is about these compositions. The 45 year old British singer Georgia Mancio wrote the lyrics for Broadbent’s songs and also interprets them. She has a lovely voice with a beautiful tone and first-class intonation. (And if you read her bio you find she performed at the London Jazz Festival with Bobby McFerrin and worked with Sheila Jordan in 2006). She has also produced first-class work with the lyrics. The album, which was recorded in 2015/16, was released on Broadbent’s 70th birthday in early summer 2017.