SoundCellar & Swanage Jazz Festival present Jo Harrop

Award-winning jazz singer Jo Harrop makes her SoundCellar debut at the Mowlem. With a smoky, intimate voice blending jazz, blues, and soul, she’s earned praise from Iggy Pop and Jo Whiley, and recently supported Gregory Porter on his UK tour. 

Jo will be accompanied by the exquisite pianist Matt Carter. She will be performing songs from across her four albums, including songs playlisted on Jazz FM & Radio 2, such as Everything’s Changing, Beautiful Fools and The Path Of A Tear, as well as loved jazz standards from her 2020 released album, “Weathering The Storm”

“Her voice is delicious. When she sings, she moves me. Jo Harrop is a very fine jazz singer… a superb and unimaginably good vocalist”
Iggy Pop – BBC radio 6 Music

“Just a delicious, exquisite voice, a balm for the soul” 
Jo Whiley, BBC radio 2

“A rare mix of delicacy and boldness. Sheer perfection.” 
The Guardian

Jo Harrop is a celebrated British jazz singer and songwriter whose music blends jazz, blues, soul, and elements of folk, Americana, and Latin. With a voice described as warm, smoky, and velvet-toned, Jo has been praised for her emotional depth and musical intimacy. Her breakthrough came when rock legend Iggy Pop, impressed by a glowing Guardian review, featured her on BBC Radio 6, calling her “a very fine jazz singer.” Since then, she has gained wide acclaim for her albums Weathering The Storm, The Heart Wants (featuring Christian McBride), When Winter Turns To Spring (with Paul Edis), and The Path Of A Tear, produced by Grammy-winner Larry Klein.

Jo’s music has received multiple four and five-star reviews globally, with When Winter Turns To Spring winning Album of the Year at the 2023 Parliamentary Jazz Awards. The Heart Wants also charted in the US and was featured on Watercolors XM. In 2025, she was handpicked to support Gregory Porter on his 13-date UK tour, including four nights at the Royal Albert Hall. A gifted live performer, Jo has played world-class venues from Ronnie Scott’s to Dizzy’s Club in New York. Known for her honesty, style, and soul, she continues to mesmerize audiences worldwide.

Jazz pianist Matt Carter began classical piano lessons at age seven and later took up the trumpet. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, he has led acclaimed projects and performed with artists including Joss Stone, Rosie Frater-Taylor, and Wet Wet Wet. His octet’s debut album, Read Between the Lines, received a four-star review from Jazzwise.