Ella Fitzgerald is probably the most beloved jazz singer of all time, with hits like Manhattan, Summertime, Bewitched and Lady is a Tramp. 

Amassing 13 Grammy Awards and 40 million albums sales over an astounding 60-plus year career, Ella could effortlessly cross over between sultry ballads, intricate jazz arrangements and light pop tunes, and could imitate any instrument of the orchestra. Born in 1917, Ella worked with all the greats including Ellington, Basie, Sinatra, Gillespie, Armstrong (or perhaps we should say they worked with her!) and she packed out venues worldwide during her career, including Dublin’s Adelphi Theatre in 1964 and the Cork Jazz Festival in 1982. Her greatest legacy is probably the Songbook Series, recorded between 1956 and 1981, considered a cornerstone of 20th century recorded popular music, representing some of the finest interpretations of the greater part of the musical canon known as the Great American Songbook.

"After the Last Sky"

For almost forty years Anouar Brahem has drawn on the traditions of Arab music, while consistently engaging with the wider world, finding inspiration in jazz and different cultures.

Eight years after Blue Maqams (ECM), he returns with a poignant project and album titled after a line of verse by Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, which asks “Where should the birds fly, after the last sky?” Graceful chamber pieces for oud, cello, piano and bass subtly address the metaphysical question and its broad resonances in a troubled time.