A CRITICALLY acclaimed jazz musician will be performing at Hexham's Jazz Festival on Saturday, May 14 at Hexham Abbey.

Jo Harrop and her band, the Northumbria Quartet, will perform songs from her acclaimed debut solo album, The Heart Wants, alongside a few favourites from the Great American Songbook, which is a compilation of early 20th century American jazz standards and popular songs.

Born in Durham, Jo has worked with legendary artists including Neil Diamond, Rod Stewart and Enrique Iglesias, and has performed in famous London venues from Ronnie Scott's to the Royal Albert Hall.

She recorded her first album of original material over the past year through the pandemic. "We wrote and recorded the songs for The Heart Wants before we had a chance for people to hear them live, which is the ultimate litmus test," Harrop explains.

"Songs don't really come alive until you play them to an audience, so I’m incredibly excited to finally be able to bring them to life on stage at Hexham Abbey as part of the Hexham Jazz Festival. It’s such a spectacular, stunningly beautiful and iconic church – the perfect setting to perform these extremely intimate and personal songs."

All proceeds from the show will be donated to Cancer Research UK, and tickets can be purchased at https://www.joharrop.com/shows.