MICHAEL L. ROBERTS BIOGRAPHY

At just 28, Jazz-vocalist Michael L. Roberts has already enjoyed landmark engagements at the top venues on the British jazz scene, frequent radio airplay and a featured broadcast on BBC Radio 2 of his arrangement of a forgotten and previously unpublished Cole Porter masterpiece.

He has also delivered a lecture series on the art of vocalese and scat-singing with, among others, the late, great Sir John Dankworth. He has held sustained and continuing tenures as Head of Jazz studies, jazz-vocal and piano at some of the top private schools in the country.

Festival appearances as vocalist/lyricist with Vasilis Xenopoulos’s ‘X-Tet’ and guest performances with legendary and groundbreaking artists across Europe, the U.S. and the Caribbean cements his list of enviable achievements and solid reputation as an extraordinary new talent. Praised by audiences and critics alike, Clive Davis in the Sunday Times writes:

“Britain’s answer to Kurt Elling... he delivers a mature and often exhilarating set that puts him in the front rank of this country’s performers... Roberts has technique, to be sure, but he is soulful too... Roberts’s phrasing is immaculate...”

His exciting debut record Moving Is Living (released worldwide on the Nota Bene label) is an amalgamation of his already extensive experience as a diverse and creative jazz artist – featuring strikingly fresh originals, hip-reworked standards, hidden-gem ballads, and an award-winning band that includes long-time collaborators Anita Wardell, Chris Montague and Rob Barron.

“Way above the hordes of average Sinatra wannabes out there, Roberts is crooner cut from similar cloth to Kurt Elling and Mark Murphy. Possessing an effortlessly hip delivery and an easy-going charm, his superb band add funky bite to his cool bark!”

 - Mike Flynn, TIMEOUT.

“One of the few young jazz musicians I’ve seen who is not just immensely talented, but also has integrity. Such performers can be counted on the fingers of a mitten!”

 - Victor Lewis-Smith.

“A beautiful vocal gift...”

 - Mark Murphy.

This amazingly talented musician was the special guest at one of Daisy Jaine's classy Jazz Evenings, December 2010. Click here to watch a video clip.