Folk Bands and Artists
Bruno Heinen & James Kitchman
Musical synergy was evident from the first two notes of Thelonious Monk’s ‘Bemsha Swing’ that were played by guitarist James Kitchman and pianist Bruno Heinen without any count-in, prior discussion, or eye contact. This was the opening night of a monthly residency held at Kansas Smitty’s jazz bar in East London in 2017.
The duo has since developed a common improvisational language which takes influence from the chronology of great guitar/piano duos in jazz: Jim Hall and Bill Evans; through to Fred Hersh and Julian Lage.
Their debut album ‘Rain Shadows’ – a carefully balanced brew of original compositions and improvisations is due for release in 2022.
“Demonstrating that originality doesn’t have to be complicated”
The Observer (on Bruno Heinen)
“Huge amounts of style and panache”
BBC Radio 3 (on James Kitchman)
