THE VAN MORRISON ALUMNI BAND to Bring Weekly Residency to London's Emerald Theatre
Saxophonist Leo Green leads the ensemble, which has performed with Van Morrison more than 3,000 times.
A weekly concert residency built around the songbook of Van Morrison is set to take place at THE EMERALD THEATRE in Central London on Tuesdays, featuring musicians who have toured and recorded with the singer over several decades. Billed as THE VAN MORRISON ALUMNI BAND, the group will perform songs including Brown Eyed Girl, Moondance, Into The Mystic, Have I Told You Lately, Gloria, Domino, Sweet Thing, Crazy Love, and Jackie Wilson Said, alongside stories from their years working alongside Van Morrison on stage and in the studio.
Tuesdays at The Emerald Theatre in Central London sees classic songs performed live by The Van Morrison Alumni Band: a company of musicians hand-picked by Van Morrison himself to accompany him over decades of touring and recording, bringing one of the greatest songbooks in modern music to life - the songs everyone wants to hear, played by those who know them best.
This project is the only endorsed Van Morrison project of its kind in the world - of The Van Morrison Alumni Band, Van himself said: 'These songs are meant to be sung and heard, and I am really happy that Leo is carrying the torch.'
Earlier this year, Van performed with the Alumni Band at the Jazz FM Awards, where he received the Lifetime Achievement Award, joining the Alumni musicians on stage for a rendition of 'Snatch It Back and Hold It.'
Right on the banks of the Thames and just a couple of minutes from Trafalgar Square, The Emerald Theatre is one of London's newest cultural landmarks – an Art Deco-inspired space with top-tier acoustics, in one of the most enviable locations in the capital, and the perfect place to hear these songs the way they were always meant to be heard.
Residency Dates
August: 4th, 11th, 18th
September: 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th
October: 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th
November: 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th
December: 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd
The Showtime Group is a live entertainment company founded to develop, package and scale premium music-led formats for venues, promoters, agents, orchestras and IP owners. Built around repertoire, musicianship, audience connection and scalable live entertainment IP, the company's activity includes Icons Orchestral, Van Morrison Alumni Band, Secret Sax Party and related live format work including BBC Radio 2's Sounds of the 60s Live. The Showtime Group's formats are designed to tour, transfer, license and scale across venues, territories and partners.
The ensemble, curated and led by saxophonist and musical director Leo Green, includes Matt Holland on trumpet, Steve Pearce and Alec Dankworth on bass, Robin Aspland on piano, and Geoff Dunn and Ralph Salmins on drums, with vocalists Jessica Greenfield, Hayley Sanderson, Natalie May Paris, and Wayne Hernandez. The musicians have collectively accompanied Van Morrison in concert more than 3,000 times and hold more than 600 recording credits with him, and the group has also released its own debut album, VOLUME 1, featuring new interpretations of his songs.
