Jazz singer/pianist Robin Phillips brings together some vital pieces of his musical inspiration all the way up to his latest album, which is currently receiving airplay around the world. Starting by paying tribute to the music Harry Connick Jr, Robin will show how New Orleans is a fundamental part of Harry’s music. He will follow this by singing songs about New Orleans including one he recorded with Harry’s long-term trumpet player, and New Orleans legend, Leroy Jones

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Brushstrokes & Blue Notes

Music & Art Exhibition

Oil Painting Artist: Musa Hamwala

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Related music to hear whilst viewing by: Robin Phillips

The exhibition will be free to view throughout Gonville Hotel, during the month of November, as part of the Cambridge Jazz Festival 2025. 

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This art & music exhibition will feature 10 original pieces of art by Cambridge-based artist, Musa Hamwala. Each piece of art, in oils, interprets a different song from Robin Phillips’ latest album, which itself was created after inspiration from a motorbike trip from Chicago to New Orleans, to retrace the path of jazz & blues, and see how these music cities look today. 

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Musa had already created many pieces of art inspired by jazz music and jazz musicians, which is how the creative pair first met, and Robin’s originals album became a powerful source of inspiration for this project taken on by Musa.

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The songs themselves tackle subjects such as the cities of Clarksdale Mississippi and New Orleans, Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, Sam Phillips (Founder of Sun Studio, Memphis), a book called South Of Haunted Dreams, the International Jazz Scene, and returning to England after this life-changing trip. However, Musa was given free reign to interpret the songs any way he chose.