Brian Clemens Big Band
ft. Tawanda

Brian Clemens

Brian Clemens is a London-based jazz pianist, arranger, and bandleader originally from Los Angeles. After earning his master's degree and studying under Bill Cunliffe, pianist for Frank Sinatra and Buddy Rich and a Grammy Award-winner, Brian established himself in the LA music scene before relocating to London, where he has built a reputation as one of the city's most versatile and in-demand musicians.

In London, he founded and leads Luminoso, a jazz-pop band that has toured extensively across Europe, performing at iconic venues including Nardis Jazz Club in Istanbul, Jamboree in Barcelona, and B-flat in Berlin, as well as leading UK rooms. Having written most of the original material on their debut release 3-2-1!, Brian brings a songwriter's sensibility to the bandstand, melodies that feel nostalgic yet immediately familiar.

Brian also directs a big band production with themed shows across the UK, a crowd favorite at London's historic victorian Wilton's Music Hall, and performs regularly at some of the city's most prestigious private venues, including The Ritz, Harrods, and The Dorchester Hotel. 

Tawanda
Tawanda Suessbrich-Joaquim is a first-generation New Mexico native singer and songwriter, currently based in sunny Los Angeles, California. An alumna of Santa Fe University of Art and Design with a focus on jazz vocals, she has won multiple prestigious awards, including first place in the Sarah Vaughan Vocal Jazz Competition (2021) and the BISTRO Outstanding Achievement Award for Jazz Vocalists (2023).

Her debut jazz album, Smile (2022), was made with love at Beverly Hills’ Resonance Records and is available on all streaming platforms. Additionally, she has been featured on Ivan Lins’ Grammy-nominated album My Heart Speaks (2023) and is looking forward to releasing original music soon.

Tawanda is proud to be a featured performer with Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox. She recently joined their Spring and early Summer 2024 tours in the US & beyond. Born to a German mother and a Mozambican father, Tawanda proudly embraces her heritage as the child of immigrants and strives to live up to the meaning of her name, "we are more."

For more information, check out tawandamusic.com.

"Tawanda seems to go from zero, to belonging in the esteemed company of Veronica Swift, Cecile McLorin Salvant and Cyrille Aimee in negative time, if that could be measured." AllAboutJazz.com