RYAN MACKENZIE & LUCA MANNING
Ae Fond Kiss
London, United Kingdom
We are really in for a treat in the form of a collaboration between jazz vocalist Luca Manning and pianist/arranger Ryan MacKenzie who bring us a special rendition of Robert Burn’s classic love song ‘Ae Fond Kiss’.
The beginning of this piece doesn’t wait more than a millisecond before sweeping listeners away with a ballad-style performance. The vocals are raw and classy – the instrumentation is a progressive encapsulating mixture of orchestral beauty. The clarity of the mix makes for a polished piece of perfection like looking through the freshly cleansed window to the soul.
In between the main melody of the keys, the spaces in between are filled with strings and marching drum percussion. Fabulous arrangements from MacKenzie and Manning make for a crystal clear performance that gradually fades out to ease listeners back into the reality of everyday life.
These two musicians have created a gem here that does justice to the original – unsurprisingly, Mackenzie is best known as a pianist, arranger and musical director to artists such as Pixie Lott and Alan Cumming.
Make sure that you hit the links below to get more familiar!