Legendary British soul singer Amy Winehouse was also wonderful as a jazz performer, covering some of the best-known songs of the age. Although she released only two albums in her lifetime, her music has inspired numerous singers - among them Hungarian audience favourite Gabi Szűcs. With a band containing the cream of Hungarian mainstream jazz performers, Szűcs invites the audience on a journey on which she performs swing arrangements of Winehouse's best songs.
'In 2013, it occurred to me that I should try to arrange the songs of Amy Winehouse for my own genre of swing,” recalls Szűcs. "To this day, I rate Winehouse very highly: her songs, her voice, her affection for the music of the 1960s, her outspoken lyrics and dramatic presence. I asked the brilliant saxophonist Péter Kuzbelt, whose name is a guarantee of a modern, inventive sound, to rearrange the songs. My regular band members were happy to throw themselves into the task. In swing arrangements, Amy's songs gain new meaning and are enriched with new colours. This musical treat contains songs from Rehab to Valerie that are entertaining and cut to the quick, blending the best traditions of jazz and swing - everything we love about Amy.'
The idea has also produced a record, and the project has already been presented to audiences at several very successful concerts. On this occasion, however, the identity of the guest artist adds a special twist to the Swinging Amy concert: Little G Weevil, the internationally known blues guitarist and singer-songwriter, best known to the Hungarian audience from his role as mentor on a popular talent show. 'Little G's playing and voice fit Amy's songs perfectly, and in the rearranged swing versions recall something of the original notion behind them. With him, the circle is complete, because musically his world belongs with both Amy's and mine.'

Presented by: Müpa Budapest