Top jazz duo scattering a little Stardust at Crucible Studio

Despite a long-standing musical friendship and frequent collaborations, it has been almost 20 years since Stan and Nikki recorded their first album, Treasure Trove. Their newest offering, Stardust, celebrates a shared love of songs, featuring an original composition from each, and was released to great acclaim in late 2015.

A veteran of the UK jazz scene, Stan Sulzmann has a rich and varied career that has included playing with musicians as diverse as Kenny Wheeler, Larry Grenadier and Gwilym Simcock, as well as a prolific output as bandleader.

Nikki Iles is a real favourite of Sheffield jazz audiences and was described by The Guardian’s jazz writer John Fordham as “one of the most refreshing figures to have emerged in the UK scene in recent times, with a liquid sound and supple, obliquely resolved phrasing”.

The Leeds College of Music graduate  won the John Dankworth Special Award at the BT British Jazz Awards the year that Treasure Trove came out.

As well as playing with a whole host of fellow top jazz artists, Nikki works as a music writer, teacher and examiner.

Her other collaborations have included working with orchestras, writers and theatre groups.

The duo appear at the Sheffield Jazz event this Thursday. Box office: 0114 249 6000 or Sheffield Theatres