American jazz singer Leslie Lewis grew up with equal love for Ella and Aretha and, with her husband, pianist and arranger Gerard Hagen, she presents ‘Funky Ella’, a new project celebrating feel-good music. With four of the most sought-after musicians on the Paris scene – Peter Giron (double bass), Nicolas Peslier (guitar), Mourad Benhammou (drums) and Jean-Philippe Naeder (percussion) – they play music steeped in jazz and RB, but where groove is king. With arrangements that create a unique backdrop for Leslie, who is an outstanding storyteller, their audience is drawn into a dynamic blend of jazz and RB that infuses passion, beauty, honesty and humour. The musicians of the sextet have performed at many of the world’s great jazz festivals, from Marciac to Melbourne and from Ankara to Vienna, and with jazz legends such as Kurt Elling, Dave Liebman, Rhoda Scott, Kirk Lightsey and Claude Bolling.