JAZZ REP CO - Key Persons
In 2012 Richard Pite collaborated with singer Liz Fletcher and pianist Christian Vaughan to produce a show called The Essential Nina Simone. Liz seemed an ideal choice for re-interpreting the songs of Nina - she wasn't an impersonator, she just was able to re-create that emotional drama that permeated Simone's work. Added to this she had a voice that could bring one out in goose bumps - a tone of rich creamy beauty and an ability to turn a phrase with instinctive musicality.
Liz has performed at many prestigious festivals and in numerous jazz clubs and including Ronnie Scotts, Pizza Express Dean Street, The Festival Hall, The Purcell Rooms, Pizza On The Park, The 606 Club, and Glastonbury. She has had a residency at the Boisdale Jazz and Cigar Club since it opened in 1999 and has worked with most of the UK's leading jazz musicians including Robin Aspland, Alan Barnes, Tony Coe, Jim Mullen, Andy Panayi, Marc Parnell, Julian Siegel, Matt Wates, Gareth Williams and many more.
Nina Simone was one of the most extraordinary artists of the twentieth century, an icon of American music. She was the consummate musical storyteller, who used her remarkable talent to create a legacy of liberation, empowerment, passion, and love through a magnificent body of work.
By the end of her life, Nina was enjoying an unprecedented degree of recognition. Her music was enjoyed by millions through her many recordings and exposure through movies, television and online. She sold over one million CDs in the last decade of her life, making her a global best-seller.
Job Titles:
- Founder & Director of the Jazz Repertory Company
Richard Pite is a professional musician who also runs The Jazz Repertory Company and The Party Jazz Agency.
Richard Pite's drum heroes range from Buddy Rich to Gene Krupa and from Ringo Starr to Charlie Watts. For many years he specialised in 1920s music & the drum techniques and visual tricks of the era's jazz drummers.
Music Director - Party Jazz Agency: Founder of this long established live music agency (started in 1987) which specialises in jazz, blues, soul and funk music programming for corporate, private and public clients, parties, functions, product launches, corporate events, weddings, TV, film and radio events.
Music Director - Jazz Repertory Company: Founder and co-owner of the UK's premier producer of authentic live recreations of the greatest music in jazz history. Over the last twenty years The Jazz Repertory Company has been presenting a wide variety of shows featuring the UK's finest jazz musicians including four sell out shows at London's Cadogan Hall in the last year including: 100 Years of Jazz in 99 Minutes, Louis and The Duke in London 1932-1933, and Benny Goodman Orchestra's Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Concert.