'With this immensely powerful work Westbrook reinstates his claim to international pre-eminence among the heirs of Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus' - The Times
'Massively affirmed Westbrook's stature as a giant of contemporary music' - The Guardian.
Mike Westbrook O.B.E. has led and composed for a succession of Big Bands and small groups since the early 1960s. He has toured extensively throughout Europe and further afield, and made 30 albums.
In collaboration with his wife, singer/librettist Kate Westbrook, he has generated a whole series of jazz/cabarets and music-theatre pieces.
L'Ascenseur/The Lift, a piece conceived by Kate Westbrook and developed collectively by the trio, exists in English, French, German, Portuguese and Italian versions, reflecting the group's European history.
The premiere of this new piece in Nancy in 2002 was followed by performances in Metz, Zurich and Esch, Luxembourg. Further performances, including the Brit-Jazz festival in Dortmund (recorded by WDR) and Braga, Portugal, preceded the recording of this album with Jon Hiseman.
