Heather Cairncross - At Last (2011)

Duet album from vocalist Heather Caincross and pianist David Newton. Heather is a singer unusually successful in crossing genres at the highest international level. She regularly performs as a soloist with the Monteverdi Choir, major orchestras around the world and composers such as Steve Reich, not to mention ten years spent as a Swingle Singer. Heather and David Newton (current winner for the tenth time of Best Pianist at the British Jazz Awards) got together and recorded 19 songs in just two days. The unusual concept was that every track was to be recorded with the singer and pianist in the same room - in one complete take - no editing. This was a deliberate choice in order to try to capture the two musicians, both at the top of their game, responding to each other in the musical moment. Heather says "There are a few albums I cherish which I wanted to emulate: The Intimate Ella with Ella Fitzgerald and Paul Smith, Duet with Doris Day and André Previn and Together & Together Again with Tony Bennett and Bill Evans." Heather has appeared at venues including La Scala, Milan and Carnegie Hall and has been a backing vocalist on hit albums for artists as diverse as Björk, Tony Bennett, Susan Boyle, Michael Jackson, Example and LL Cool J. Heather is a regular on Hollywood soundtracks (Shrek, Pirates Of The Caribbean, Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter) as well as TV ads for Honda, Coca Cola and Cheltenham & Gloucester. Personnel: Heather Cairncross (vocals), David Newton (piano)