Description

Kate Shortt and Alcyona Mick will release ‘Convergence & Variations’ on January 31^st via Caliban Sounds, in association with One Little Independent Records.

‘Convergence & Variations’ is a dynamic collaboration between cellist Kate Shortt and pianist Alcyona Mick, two virtuosos exploring the intersection of jazz and classical improvisation with elegance, spontaneity, and playful eccentricity. Shortt’s soulful, resonant cello blends seamlessly with Mick’s fluid, richly harmonic piano lines. Together, they journey through familiar classical motifs and structures, infusing them with expressive freedom and interpretive depth. The album captures the immediacy of live improvisation, each note a fresh response, each pause a reflection. From contemplative, tender exchanges to vibrant, rhythmic interplay, ‘Convergence & Variations’ celebrates the transformative power of improvised music to transcend genres and unlock new interpretations of historical compositions.

Kate Shortt studied classical cello and jazz/free improvisation at the Guildhall School of Music. Her work spans genres, including pop, jazz, Portuguese fado, contemporary classical, and theatre. For several years, she was a member of the Austrian-based piano trio Line 3, performing the works of composer Norbert Zehm. She is a former member of the Northern Lights Symphony Orchestra and has led education workshops for the London Symphony Orchestra. In the pop world, she has collaborated with Gary Kemp of Spandau Ballet and played for Tears for Fears, Take That, and Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran. She has arranged and recorded for Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac. In contemporary classical, she has worked with film/television/theatre composer Jocelyn Pook. She has also collaborated with jazz guitarist Phil Robson and toured with jazz vocalist Christine Tobin, a former winner of the BBC British Composer of the Year award. Since 2001, she has been active in the free improvisation scene, working extensively with Penny Rimbaud, and has appeared on several of his albums, including ‘Kernschmelze III’. Since 2017, she has been a cellist and workshop leader with Grand Union. Kate also performs her one-woman show, ‘Shortt and Sweett’, in clubs and festivals across the UK, transitioning to online performances during lockdown. Her first poetry collection, Swimming with Labradors, was published by Book Printing UK in 2021.

Alcyona Mick is a London-based pianist and composer who was recently nominated for a Parliamentary Jazz Instrumentalist award and has performed internationally for many years. Alcyona currently works with a wide array of artists and bands, including the London Jazz Orchestra, her co-led duo with Tori Freestone, Natacha Atlas, Randolph Matthews, Brigitte Beraha’s Lucid Dreamers, Josephine Davies’ Satori, Perfect Stranger, Casimir Connection, Miguel Gorodi, and others. She has also collaborated with the Ingrid and Christine Jensen Whirlwind big band, Eddie Parker’s Debussy Mirrored Ensemble, Bachar Zarkan, and the Nikki Iles Big Band. As a composer, she has written music for documentaries, short films, and TV, and has performed live music to silent films and a music TV series in Istanbul. She won an award for Best Soundtrack at the Anima Mundi International Festival in Brazil.

Track List

1.Improvisation 1
2 . Johann Sebastian Bach – Allemande – Cello suite 3 in D major
3. Improvisation 2
4. Johann Sebastian Bach – Sarabande – Cello suite 2 in D minor
5. Improvisation 3
6 .Franz Schubert – Litanei
7. Improvisation 4
8. Marin Marais – La Folia – Variations on a theme 3 and 2
9. Improvisation 5
10. Marin Marais – La Folia – Variation 1
11. Improvisation 6
12.Erik Satie – Gymnopédie 2
13.Improvisation 7
14. Erik Satie – Gymnopédie 3
15. Improvisation 8
16. Antonio Vivaldi – Allegro – Sonata number 5 in E minor
17. Improvisation 9
18. Sergei Rachmaninov – Vocalise
19. Improvisation 10 – part 1
20. Improvisation 10 – part 2
21. Kate Shortt – The Call, on the theme of ‘Kol Nidrei’ – Max Bruch