The Peacock Project is the result of a collaboration between Argentinian pianist, composer and arranger, Lucas Herrera Fernandez and British vocalist Joanne Peacock. The duo invites jazz musicians from diverse cultural backgrounds to join them in creating a fusion of sounds, creating a rich tapestry of melody and harmony.
Jazzy Musicals is their first EP, a modern fusion between jazz and musical theatre in new arrangements written by Lucas Herrera, bringing a fresh perspective to timeless songs from great composers such as Sondheim, Bernstein, Gershwin and Rogers and Hammerstein. Vartan Baronian’s use of cello as a bass instrument adds richness and depth to the ensemble’s sound. Liviu Marculescu’s addition of trombone and duduk adds intriguing layers of sound and cultural influence. The combination of these instruments creates a unique and rich background for Joanne’s vocals.
Lucas Herrera Fernandez is a pianist and composer originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, currently living in Barcelona. Lucas studied piano with renowned teachers such as Juan Carlos Cirigliano, Álvaro Torres, Guillermo Romero and Ernesto Jodos, moving on to study contemporary academic music composition at the University of Tres de Febrero (Argentina). He became well-known for creating music for advertising audiovisual projects, documentary series such as “Los Visuales” for Canal Encuentro (Argentina) as well as writing contemporary music for art exhibitions at the Museum of Moderna Art of the City of Buenos Aires (MAMBA) and in the National Museum of Fine Arts (MNBA). As a professional musician he has participated in a wide variety of musical, stage and experimental projects. His musical origins arose in the Buenos Aires rock scene where he has participated in more than 20 albums, standing out as a member of El Atolón de Funafuti, a group with more than 18 years of experience and 5 full-length albums. His strong dedication to jazz and improvised music led him to record 2 full-length albums with his own compositions: « Un punto azul pálido » (2015) and « Puerto Itinerante » (2022). He has recently released the EP “Blues para un Rojo” (2023) with his jazz piano trio. This trio is very active currently on the Catalan circuit. He is also a member of The Soulful Trio, an organ trio performing soul and blues on a regular basis in the region. Lucas also plays alongside the saxophonist Federico Álvarez in his organ trio and accompanies the talented jazz singer Verónica Sala
Since 2022, Lucas has collaborated with Swiss-English singer Joanne Peacock as an arranger and performer in The Peacock Project. They have performed as a duo, trio and quartet in Switzerland, Spain and France. Their first EP will be released soon, with concerts already scheduled for 2024 and 2025.
Liviu Marculescu, bio
Liviu Marculescu, originally from Constanta, graduated from the « George Enescu » Academy of Arts in Iași, 1982 class. His debut on the jazz scene came in 1980, with the Titel Popovici Big Band, with whom he played for a number of years. In 1984 he formed a duo with the renowned Romanian singer Anca Parghel. In 1989 Liviu joined the Moldova Philharmonic, with whom he played for many years, whilst at the same developing a number of jazz projects involved numerous talented Romanian musicians. Some years later, in 2007, he joined the Big Band of Radio Bucharest performing regularly nationally and internationally. He has worked as a professional musician, nationally and internationally, ever since.
Liviu currently leads a number of successful jazz formations in Romania – Dixie Tram, Balkanamera JazzQ, Liviu Marculescu Jazz Unit – performing a wide repertoire including many of his own compositions. Liviu has performed at several well-known jazz festivals, notably in his home country (Sibiu, Garana, Brasov, Bucharest, Cluj) but also in France, Germany, Moldovia, Bulgaria, Spain. He has recorded two albums and the third is now in production.
In 2022, Liviu initiated and organised an International Jazz Festival « Cucuteni Jazz Fest », a cultural event in which artists from Romania, the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, Germany, Poland were invited to participate. The festival benefited from great visibility in the national media, through radio and television stations.The festival has now become an annual event, inviting musicians from all over Europe to perform alongside some of the best Romanian jazz musicians.
Since 2023, Liviu has collaborated with Joanne Peacock in two formations – Wild Women Don’t Get The Blues, and The Peacock Project.
Vartan Baronian, bio
Born in Belgrade, Vartan Baronian graduated as a cellist from the Faculty of Music at the University of Belgrade. From 1999 to 2018, Vartan was employed as a cellist for the RTS Symphony Orchestra (Radio Symphony Orchestra) working as a cellist soloist in musical theatres such as « Pozorite Na Terazijama » and « Madlenianum », among others. Vartan also created a string quartet called ‘Turn Around’ that specialised in ethno-jazz and created music for the musical theatre show ‘Ethno Circus’.
In 2019, he moved to Geneva with his family. He currently teaches cello and performs with diverse bands from all over the world: Baronijan-Iliev duo (Balkan Jazz Impro), Vagamundo (American, Bluegrass), Dzindza (Afro-Balkan) and Thierry and Thieribles (Franco-Swiss Songs).
In 2024 he became part of ‘The Peacock Project’.
Lei Roi Papis, Drums and percussion (Civil Name: Goqui Abraham Billy) Bio
Lei Roi Papis, originally from the Ivory Coast, has a degree in musicology from Abidjan University. After ten years working as a professional musical in Europe and Africa, Papis is now based in Switzerland, where he plays in a range of groups, and in a diversity of musical styles, from gospel through to pop, rock and variety. Jazz music remains his true passion.
