St Albans Jazz Ensemble (STAJE) is returning to the Abbey Theatre for a New Year big band concert.

The concert takes place on Thursday, January 11, and is the largest big band STAJE has assembled in recent years.

Familiar faces and top vocalists will perform, including Lydia Shariff from the Guildhall School of Music, Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts musical director Emma Fraser Barry, and Craig Garrett and Lucy Lock from STAJE.

Herts Advertiser: Emma Fraser Barry will perform at the concertEmma Fraser Barry will perform at the concert (Image: STAJE)

They will sing numbers by Ray Nobel, Bob Caldwell, Rose Royce, Tony Bennett, Sheryl Crow and more.

The performance will also feature a fresh arrangement of Larry Burton's spy-funk number 'Black Ops' and Carl Strommen's 'Swing Zone'.

STAJE was set up by director Andy Baddaley in 2010, to provide an arena for local professional and serious amateur musicians to play a wide variety of music - all of which fits under the umbrella term of 'jazz'.

READ MORE

They perform a mix of traditional swing and jazz standards, 70's jazz-funk, film scores, blues, soul, Latin and drum and bass.

Andy said: "STAJE always delivers a night of unique, high-energy music. Tickets are available from the Abbey Theatre Box Office.

"The curtain goes up at 8pm on what promises to be a night of pure musical joy!"