Jazz great James Morrison returns with an essential new album: timeless hits from The Great American Songbook, recorded at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London with the BBC Concert Orchestra and conductor Keith Lockhart.

Performing on a range of instruments (including trumpet, flugelhorn, trombone, tenor sax and piano), Morrison brings his trademark virtuosity and flair to classics by Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Duke Ellington, Jerome Kern and more. These tunes were originally made famous by many of the great singers of all time; for this album, Morrison especially commissioned arrangements that bring alive the melodies, styles and meanings that have made these songs so immortal and beloved.

These jazz 'standards' are close to Morrison's heart: “I proposed to my wife by walking into the bathroom playing My Funny Valentine; Every Time We Say Goodbye was played at the funeral of a dear friend; Summertime was the first time I worked with a singer; A Foggy Day was the first song I performed in public on the piano (aged 10); and of course Duke Ellington answered the unanswerable question 'what is jazz'? (It Don't Mean a Thing if it Ain't Got That Swing).”

James Morrison is regarded as one of the finest musicians of his generation, with a distinguished career featuring collaborations with the likes of Wynton Marsalis, Dizzy Gillespie and Ray Charles, invitations to perform at the world's great venues and for multiple US presidents and Queen Elizabeth II, and pioneering education work. His collaboration with the BBC Concert Orchestra continues with a performance at the BBC Proms in August 2017.

Ensemble:
James Morrison trumpet, flugelhorn, trombone, tenor saxophone, piano
BBC Concert Orchestra
Keith Lockhart conductor