Vibraphone Centennial Celebration

Jazz Vibes Feature

Celebrating 100 Years of the Vibraphone

An exciting, energetic, unapologetically vibro-centric show celebrating 100 years of the vibraphone and vibraphonists! 

From Early swing to contemporary grooves, you're taken on an eclectic journey of the jazz vibes with hits from Lionel Hampton, Terry Gibbs, Milt Jackson, Gary Burton and many others through to Roan Kearsey-Lawson himself, featuring his own compositions and his unique, virtuoso take on his predecessors achievements and hits.

In 1923 to 1927 the vibes were invented and developed into the instrument we know now, with the first recorded vibes in the early 1930's. 

This fantastic show presented by virtuoso vibraphonist Roan Kearsey-Lawson provides an exciting, informative and broad church performance for your Festival or club.

Experience celebrating 100 years of the vibraphone from Swing through to straight grooves, Latin and Classical-Jazz.

In Quartet or bigger, this project boasts current in vogue players from the UK jazz scene (Vibes, Piano, Bass & Drums, + option Sax/Flute/Trumpet). A showcase of the Vibraphone like you've never experienced before.

Concert of Peace

Classical Solo Piano Feature

Roan invites you into his illusive, introverted world of peace.  Join in on this classical music journey taking you to new destinations of peace and self discovery, and enjoying some good music along the way!

This is not a political show about world peace. It is a concert full of Roan's beautiful compositions intended to introduce you to both his musical and inner peace.

Through listening to his performance you are invited to slow down, to step inside his world of peace, and to hopefully take away some of that illusive peace with you.

The repertoire is exclusively his own musical compositions. An emphasis on touch, tone, feeling and the communication of the introvert to the listener, using his own ‘classical conversationalism’ technique. 

Taking inspiration from the likes of Chopin who spent much of his performing career improvising his own piano works to audiences, Roan’s classical piano performances are focused on his own compositions, their meaning and the delivery of this meaning to the audience.

The concert, often delivered with verbal programme notes, adjusted to suit the audience and occasion, aims to give understanding to the feelings the music may evoke inside you. A classical festival may want the music to do the talking and be given only a few words of the meaning of each composition, whereas others in Churches, Cathedrals and Support Groups may even want to turn the performance into a seminar about many feelings and experiences, not least about inner peace!

Whatever your taste, this concert is a wonderful opportunity to get up close and inside the meaning of the music of Roan.

The Sounds of LMO

Jazz Vibraphone Feature

RKL joins forces with Craig Milverton, to rejuvenate the excitement of Lionel Hampton (L), the cool of Milt Jackson (M) and the prowess of Oscar Peterson (O).

RKL is an impressive Vibraphone exponent, performing in his own unique way, as Lionel Hampton did (and on Piano and Drums too) and expressing the cool sounds of the vibes like Milt Jackson did. While Craig Milverton is arguably the UK's closest pianist to the quality and style of Oscar Peterson.

Small Venue? Book this dynamic show as a Duo, or go full on with RKL joined by the Craig Milverton Trio.

If you like vibes, if you like Oscar Peterson, then this is the show for you!

The Art of Classical Conversationalism

Contemporary Classical Piano & Ensemble

An emotionally connective show, using innovative improvisational techniques, boasting hybrid genres and styles.

Broadly Classical in nature and feel, this show features Roan's compositions and suites, plus arrangements of other composers in the Classical Conversationalism style.

Performed as solo Piano, duo, trio, or quartet the variety of applications for this show is immense, from intimate seminars to large concert halls.

With a focus on Audience emotive connection, The Art of Classical Conversationalism is a fundamentally improvised classical journey taking you to new destinations of peace and self discovery, and enjoying some good music along the way!

Classical Conversationalism is a term coined by Roan.  At the heart of it is improvisational classical inspired music, based upon spiritual connection and emotional wellbeing. It is live music created in an improvisational way, with a classical feel, also influenced by World genres, with the influence of the relaxed nature of jazz and the structure of written out melodies over a given chord structure, but with the absence of what one might call the "blue notes of jazz" and the absence of fully scored classical arrangements.  (A further explanatory essay on it is found inside the CD album of Classical Conversations.)

Tribute to Lionel Hampton

Jazz Vibraphone Feature + Piano & Drum Kit

A fully swinging show, full of both nostalgia and contemporary expositions.

A dazzling foot tapping performance from Roan Kearsey-Lawson on the Vibes (and Piano and Drum Kit*) playing the hits of Lionel Hampton but with Roan's own stylistic interpretations (Airmail Special, Flying Home, Midnight Sun, Slipped Disc, Mr PC, etc).

Lionel Hampton is both remembered and rejuvenated through tunes both old and new. The show also features Roan's own compositions dedicated to Lionel (Hampton's Swing, Happy Bones, etc).

*Should the budget and venue size suit, Roan, as did Lionel, can perform on Drum Kit and Piano as well as Vibes, as part of the show.

A quartet of Vibes, Guitar, Bass and Drums (+ Trumpet or Sax to suit venue size and budgets)

RKL & Kai Hoffman

(Details Published Soon)

New York Connections Quartet

Jazz Vibraphone Quartet

A quartet full of entertainment and experience featuring John Pearce on Piano, Paul Morgan on Bass and Rod Brown on Drums.

An eclectic mix of tuneful jazz with plenty of Roan's original compositions aspiring to the cool sounds of New York jazzmen.

Duos, Trios and Bands for Functions

(Details Published Soon)