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Elaine Mitchener and The Power Of Four at Cheltenham Jazz Festival

Tony Dudley Evans

“My work with the Power of Four fits in perfectly with all my other work as I see them as interconnected – it’s still ensemble playing but with different repertoire and ‘feel’, but the openness to mining ideas remains the same.”

1.  Tell me about The Power of Four.  How did it come about?  What is special about working with Pat, Neil and Mark?  To what extent is there a Caribbean influence in the music?

The Power of Four came out of another group The Power of Five which featured the same lineup plus the tremendous vocal artistry of Fay Victor from the US. We first performed as a 5tet at Café Oto in Oct 2025 following conversations with Fay where we talked about the influence of each of Caribbean heritages and their corresponding influences on our music making. The quartet of Mark Sanders (drums), Neil Charles (double Bass), Pat Thomas (piano) and myself (vocals), covers four different Caribbean Islands and this is important to understand , and that we also have a common thread of being British. This enables us to drawn on a variety of musical genres and as seasoned improvisers were are able to move freely to explore these realms. The Caribbean sounds may/may not be obvious but they will be there.

2.  You have appeared at Cheltenham Jazz Festival on a couple of occasions.  Have these appearances been important for you?

I’ve had the pleasure of performing at CJF a few times and always my time here as it’s an international festival allowing me to experience the work of great artists who I wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to hear live. I feel honoured to be on the programme and to sharing the stage with incredible musicians – Pat, Neil and Mark.

3.  You perform in many contexts, solo, with contemporary classical ensembles such as Apartment House, and in dance performances.  How does your work with the Power of Four fit into all this?

My work with the Power of Four fits in perfectly with all my other work as I see them as interconnected  – it’s still ensemble playing but with different repertoire and ‘feel’, but the openness to mining ideas remains the same. Having an interdisciplinary practice allows me to access  a freedom to express in numerous ways.

4.  I loved your Vocal Classics of the Black Avant-Garde and especially songs by Jeanne Lee.  Will any of those songs come in your Cheltenham performance?  More generally, will you be continuing with that project?

No spoilers here! Maybe :))) These projects are never ending, always unfolding and manifesting with different approaches.

5.  Any future plans, new projects?

My next project concludes 6 years  of being an associate artist at Wigmore Hall. It will be a concert with Lutenist Elizabeth Kenny and titles “Songs, Airs and the Blues” on 6 June. It’s totally different from anything I’ve done before and I’m looking forward to this new challenge!

The Power Of Four perform in the Parabola Arts Centre on Saturday 2nd May at 3.30 as part of the Cheltenham Jazz Festival 2026.