Shirley Smart
“One of the best improvising cellists in the UK”
About
Shirley Smart is one of the UK’s most formidable and creative cellists, a pioneering figure who has redefined the instrument’s role across jazz, Middle Eastern, and classical music. Her technical foundation, built under Raphael Wallfisch and Janos Starker, was transformed by a ten-year residency in Jerusalem. There, she became a seminal voice in the region’s music scene, mastering North African and Arabic traditions while collaborating with jazz icons like Avishai Cohen and Omer Avital.
Shirley Smart’s career is marked by a rare dual mastery of elite classical performance and deep-rooted improvisation. Her early credits include performing trios with Yo-Yo Ma at the Barbican and a concerto debut in St. Petersburg. However, her artistic identity is most defined by her decade in the Middle East, where she performed with the Tarshika Orchestra, Sabreen, and legendary oud players such as Khaled Jubran and Nizar Rohana.
Since returning to the UK, she has established herself as a first-call collaborator for world-class jazz and global music innovators, including Mulatu Astatke, Antonio Forcione, and Neil Cowley. Smart’s authority in her field is reflected in her academic status; she is Professor of Musicianship and Improvisation at the Royal College of Music and the Jazz Musician-in-Residence at St. John’s College, Cambridge University.
The Shirley Smart Trio
Smart’s flagship project is a high-octane exploration of the intersection between jazz and Middle Eastern music. Featuring John Crawford (piano) and Demi Garcia Sabat (drums/percussion), the trio draws on Smart’s ten years in Jerusalem to create a sound that is technically virtuosic and culturally grounded. The group is a regular fixture at Ronnie Scott’s and major UK jazz festivals, praised for its seamless integration of North African grooves and contemporary jazz improvisation.
The Shirley Smart Sextet
This expanded ensemble allows for larger-scale, more complex arrangements of Smart’s compositions. The sextet provides a broader harmonic canvas, incorporating brass and additional textures to navigate the "Long-form" storytelling inherent in both Arabic suites and modern jazz movements. It is her primary vehicle for exploring orchestrated global music on a festival scale.
Melange
Melange is a global fusion collective that explores the shared musical heritage of the Mediterranean, the Balkans, and North Africa. Led by Smart, the group acts as a laboratory for cross-cultural exchange, blending cello, oud, and percussion to create complex, atmospheric soundscapes. The ensemble’s work is characterised by its rhythmic depth and its ability to bridge ancient traditions with modern avant-garde sensibilities.
Bezique
Bezique is a uniquely cosmopolitan gypsy jazz ensemble that redefines the "NuGypsy" sound for the UK scene. A collaboration between Smart and long-time partner Peter Michaels (guitar), with violinist Tobie Medland, the group bridges the gap between the swing of Django Reinhardt and the "chaabi" piano traditions of North Africa. By incorporating rarely-heard Algerian influences alongside Parisian musette and contemporary jazz, Bezique offers a sophisticated, acoustic experience that is both technically virtuosic and globally resonant. Their debut album is slated for release in 2025.
Quanta
Quanta is a groundbreaking piano trio that reinterprets the "salon music" tradition through a modern, improvisational lens. Featuring violinist Tobie Medland and contemporary pianist Ben Smith, the ensemble explores the intersection of great masterworks and spontaneous creation. Their performances are characterized by "reimagining" canonical piano trio literature, interspersing traditional works with improvisations rooted in Mediterranean, folk, and jazz sources. Quanta delivers a bold, genre-defying experience that is as intellectually rigorous as it is vibrant.
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