Simon Lawrence profile picture

Simon Lawrence

'A Frank Sinatra for this age'-Fran Landesman

About Me

Simon is fast becoming one the UK's top up and coming crooners and jazz composers. Since 2001 Simon has been writing and performing swing jazz in London venues including 606 Club, 100 Club, The BBC Club West One, The Big Chill, The Crypt, Hoxton Hall and Jazz After Dark. He has also performed for top corporate clients including Pepsi, Prudential and DeBeers Diamonds.
Although Simon enjoys singing jazz standards, what he is really about is writing his own original jazz songs inspired by the writers he loves like Cole Porter, Harold Arlen and Jimmy Van Heusen. In this way Simon is hoping to create jazz songs for a new generation without them being 'pop jazz'. His songs have had great acclaim within the industry, sound timeless and fit in beautifully amongst the standards at gigs.
His song 'I don't love you (but my heart does)', has been extremely popular at gigs and on the internet where it has been played on some of the worlds top podcasts. Simon has one album, Easy Days, and is soon to be recording a new album.
For the past two years Simon has been performing and collaborating with the 'first lady of beat poetry' and jazz lyricist Fran Landesman. Simon is recording and performing some of her classic songs that artists such as Tony Bennett, Shirley Bassey and Ella Fitzgerald recorded. Click on 'The Simon Lawrence Jazz Band' in the friends section below to hear these tracks. Simon wrote the haunting ballad 'All My Songs' which uses the lyrics of Fran Landesman and also put music to Fran's hilarious "Crazy Days" lyric. Simon joins a list of top composers who have put music to Fran's brilliant poems and lyrics. Fran, who has just celebrated her 80th Birthday, called Simon's song 'I don't love you (but my heart does)' a "jazz classic". The new album will have Fran Landesman songs on it.
As well as Jazz, Simon also writes indie/folk ballads, which he performs with his trusty ol' guitar! Check out his indie music by clicking on the 'Simon Lawrence Indie' in the friends section below.
Visit My Website

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 2/22/2006
Band Website: freewebs.com/simonlawrence
Band Members: Vocals: Simon Lawrence
Piano: Jack Schickler.

Influences: Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jnr, Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, The Divine Comedy, Matt Monro, Fran Landesman, Freddie Mercury, Jim Morrison, Bowie, Thom Yorke, Simon and Garfunkle, Cole Porter, Gershwin, Bernstein, Ivor Novello, Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer, Sammy Cahn, Jimmy Van Heusen, Jerome Kern, Kurt Weill and of course Rodgers and Hart.
Sounds Like: I have been told: Sinatra, Matt Monro, Neil Hannon (Divine Comedy), Morrissey and Jeff Buckley.

Type of Label: None

My Blog

Fran Landesman at 80

Just recently, at Rada, there was a wonderful celebration of Fran Landesman's 80th Birthday, hosted by John Paul's 'Farrago Poetry'. It was a fantastic night, for an amazing lady who, as many know, is...
Posted by Simon Lawrence on Thu, 22 Nov 2007 10:00:00 PST

David Bowie meets jazz crooning.

I have uploaded a cover version of one of my favourite David Bowie songs. As a kid growing up, one of the films that captured my imagination the most was the movie 'Labyrinth'. In it there is a beauti...
Posted by Simon Lawrence on Fri, 02 Mar 2007 06:25:00 PST