Georgia Mancio and Alan Broadbent: A Story Left Untold
5th May 2025
Multi-award-winning vocalist/lyricist, Georgia Mancio (Ian Shaw, Kate Williams, ReVoice! Festival), and double-Grammy-winning pianist/composer, Alan Broadbent (Natalie Cole, Charlie Haden, Pat Metheny), present their third album of co-written songs, ‘A Story Left Untold’, preceded by an 11 date UK tour.
Masterfully blending the personal and political across duo, quartet, and orchestral settings,
‘A Story Left Untold’ unfolds in two interconnected halves, where some protagonists are given a voice while others remain silent in the shadows. It explores the delicate intersection of the “cruel and kind” (‘A Lark’s Lament’); those forces that draw us further from, and closer to, our shared humanity.
Set for release on CD, vinyl and download, 5 May 2025 on Roomspin Records, it completes a trilogy with the globally acclaimed ‘Songbook’ (2017) and ‘Quiet Is The Star’ (2021), both shortlisted as ‘Albums of The Year’ by the Arts Desk, Jazz Views and Jazzwise.
In their 12-year collaboration, Georgia (London) and Alan (New York) have been described as “one of the most formidable songwriting partnerships of the 21st century” (Jazz Views), with extensive performances across Europe and the US, including Ronnie Scott’s and Dizzy’s (Jazz at Lincoln Center). Their catalogue of 40+ songs has drawn comparisons to Rodgers and Hart, Cole Porter, Joni Mitchell and Stephen Sondheim, most published in their book ‘The Songs Of Alan Broadbent and Georgia Mancio’.
In November 2023, they reunited in person for the first time in four years, to record a selection of songs—mainly written during that hiatus—with bassist Andrew Cleyndert and drummer Dave Ohm at the impressive School Farm Studios. One song, written and arranged by Alan for voice and full 42-piece orchestra, had been inadvertently overlooked by Georgia, which she recalls, “then took hold of me and would not let go”. It shaped the arc of the album, becoming the title track, and was subsequently recorded with FAME’s Skopje Studio Orchestra in June 2024.
Hearing Alan’s beautiful music within this sweeping orchestral context is a reminder of the staggering breadth of his talent and influences. Georgia’s multi-dimensional poeticism and powerfully nuanced performance are equally revelatory: what initially reads as a private account of loss, remembrance, and resignation, holds a darker undertone—a cautionary and timely tale against Authoritarianism.
Further ciphers of duality emerge across the album: the distorted realities of ‘Same Old Moon’—written in 2016, following political upheaval on both sides of the Atlantic—contrast the inherent hope that compassion and equality will ultimately prevail (‘Heart Of Hearts’, ‘Still We All Can Dream’).
Elsewhere, more overtly personal mementos balance poignancy and positivity, permanence and impermanence, with the skill, depth and lightness of touch that define Georgia and Alan’s collaboration. ‘From Me To You’, for Georgia’s late father-in-law, an actor with a lifelong passion for jazz; ‘Then And Now’, a companion piece to ‘The Last Goodbye’, their very first co-written song in 2013; ‘In The Afternoon’, a harmonious response to the seasons; ‘When The Time Has Come To Part’, a missive of strength and connection in life and art; and the mysterious ‘The Love I Left Behind’, originally inspired by John Glenday’s poem, ‘For My Wife, Reading In Bed’, and Georgia’s first lyric in her second language, Italian.
Trilogy co-producer Andrew Cleyndert demonstrates his impeccable musicianship throughout: engineering a remarkably seamless transition between duo, quartet, and orchestral settings, while also delivering exemplary bass playing. Drummer Dave Ohm, returning from ‘Songbook’, weaves his innate musicality and dynamism into a perfectly judged performance.
Artist Simon Manfield also continues his pivotal role across Georgia and Alan’s recordings and publications, once again delivering highly expressive cover art. This time, a cinematic frame within a frame: an empty chair faces a window, revealing a vibrant, curated garden that backs onto a barren, scorched landscape under ominous skies–reflecting both the tenderness and turmoil within this collection. Designer, Rachel O’Reilly, expertly unites the trilogy’s visual identity, aligning the pared-back pencil drawings of ‘Songbook’ with the watercolour seascapes of ‘Quiet Is The Star’.
At the core of this album is the kinship and searing sincerity between its leaders. As Alan explains, “Her words sound like my notes: they are meant to be sung”. Here, they are sung and played with passion and potency, fragility and finesse: two captivating storytellers united, as Georgia describes,“by the optimistic power of beauty and compassion”.
Stories told and untold: a defining chapter in this exceptional partnership.
For further info and to purchase visit Georgia’s website here