Birmingham, Birthdays and Baileys

Photo by Brian Homer taken at Birmingham Jazz in Sep 2015

Birmingham

I am so looking forward to performing in Birmingham again!  I was there last Autumn with my Spellbound Stories project and I'm back again this Sunday with Celebrating the Divas of Jazz. We'll be appearing as part of Birmingham Jazz's Legends of Jazz Festival.  In anticipation of this I did an interview with Peter Bacon's excellent Jazz Breakfast blog.  He asked some really tough questions and really made me think.  My favourite part of was when he asked me what I thought about standards given that I mostly write and record my own material.  I replied:

"I think classic songs are loved by many and will always be relevant. The wonderful thing about jazz is that the standards are like a beautiful piece of fabric that each musician gets to make into a unique garment. Some keep it simple, some come up with high fashion concepts that everyone admires but no-one will ever wear. Fashions change but beautiful music and clothes can always be appreciated."

Read the full interview here.

I'm also very excited to be taking part in the first ever Festival of Voice in Cardiff in June.  I'll be supporting Hugh Masekela at the New Theatre on 7 June.  Tickets here.

Birthdays

It was my birthday earlier this month.  I usually celebrate my birthweek (one day is much too short!)  I got some lovely gifts and one of the highlights was going to see Rambert at Sadler's Wells.  They performed three separate dance pieces with the themes, "murder, mystery and a party"!  Anyone who's been to see Spellbound Stories will know how much the themes of murder and mystery influenced my project and of course I love a party!  My favourite section was the "party" piece Itzik Galili’s A Linha Curva - "a spectacular, sexy, percussion-fuelled explosion of samba-flavoured dance".  I don't often go to see dance performances so it was a rare and enjoyable treat.

Baileys

My birthday gifts included a bottle of the Limited Edition Baileys Chocolat Luxe. Mmmmmmmm!  I LOVE Baileys and am quite a fan of chocolate too so can you imagine my delight at discovering the nectar that is the two of these delicious ingredients combined?  Their marketing department describes it as the "ultimate decadent drinking experience".  I concur.  And I'll just say again... mmmmmmm!  Cheers!

Stories, Divas and Vespers in the Rain

Westminster Central Hall

I had a lovely relaxing August but am now gearing up for a busy end to the year!

We brought Spellbound Stories to The Stables in Milton Keynes this week and there's more on the way...

Sunday 04 Oct Verdi Room, Royal Albert Hall, London SW7 2AP (Sunday Brunch)
Friday 16 Oct Urban Arts Bar @ Red Lion, 95 Warstone Ln, Birmingham B18 6NG (for BLACK HISTORY MONTH

And I'll also be Celebrating the Divas of Jazz...

Sunday 27 Sep The Apex, 1 Charter Square, Bury St Edmunds  IP33 3FD (Sunday Brunch)
Saturday 10 Oct  The Crazy Coqs, Brasserie Zedel, 20 Sherwood Street, London W1F 7ED (Late Night Show)

Also for Black history Month, I'll be singing Ellington and Spirituals for Jazz Vespers with the Dan Forshaw Quintet...

Sunday 25 Oct Central Hall Westminster, Storey's Gate, London  SW1H 9NH


So some exciting gigs ahead.  I've also been invited back to Italy in November - yay!  More details to come.


It's been raining A LOT in London this month.  I found this and it made it all better.  :-)

Parliamentary Partying and Wonderful Worcestershire

The talented Norma Winstone and Laura Jurd

The Parliamentary Jazz Awards

It was fun attending the Parliamentary Jazz Awards at the Houses of Parliament earlier this month. Didn't enjoy the long queue to get in - it's just like going through airport security! - but seeing lots of my friends and colleagues and chatting over a glass of wine and some canapes in the company of Jamie Cullum, Moira Stewart and Dame Cleo Laine more than made up for it

Above is a photo I took of Norma Winstone (Wnner - Vocalist of the Year) and Laura Jurd (Winner - Instrumentalist of the Year) - two very talented women indeed! 

Spellbound Stories Album

My Pledge Music page is now up and running!  You can pre-order the album here. Be one of the first to get your hands on the highly anticipated album and get access to exclusive updates too.

Celebrating the Divas of Jazz in Worcester and Clows Top

Another lovely couple of gigs in new places for me.  Worcester was a little different as it's not exactly rural but the venue certainly was spectacular.  Our stage for the evening was set at the front of the most beautiful church.  The acoustics were amazing and as always seems to be the case at these rural touring gigs, we received a very warm and appreciative response from the lovely audience. 

Our stage at St Barnabas Church, Worcester

Intriguing item found in church vestry (we decided they were vintage ink wells)

Clows Top was a true rural location.   We had tea and cake (gluten-free for me!) at a charming farm shop before the performance and were once again welcomed by the friendly and enthusiastic audience.  I love rural touring! 

Clows Top Victory Hall

Jazzing for Justice

Jazz for Labour

Performing on the Barbican stage with Kate Williams on piano

It was a huge honour to be included amongst the most stellar of line-ups ever assembled to perform at the Barbican to show our support for core values of the Labour Party - Fairness, Diversity & Equality.

This was the official line-up:

Alex Webb / Café Society Swing
Andy Sheppard
Arun Ghosh
Christine Tobin
Claire Martin
Courtney Pine
Darius Brubeck
Dave O’Higgins
Gary Crosby
Jay Phelps
John Etheridge
Juliet Kelly
Kate Williams
Ian Shaw
Liane Carroll
Phil Meadows
Phil Robson
Soweto Kinch
Tim Garland

But there were also many amazing musicians not listed who took part to make this one of the most spectacular jazz events ever!   I performed "Ghosts" one of the songs from Spellbound Stories, based on Toni Morrison's "Beloved" about a runaway slave forced to commit a terrible act out of desperation.  I thought it a good fit to illustrate the importance of the values of fairness, diversity and equality and received a very warm response from the audience.  I feel so proud to have been part of this and thank the organisers, audience members and fellow musicians for making it such a special evening.

Courtney Pine, Arun Ghosh, me, Soweto Kinch

With Courtney Pine just 30 mins before curtain up!

My first credit as a radio reporter!

The report I did at Brilliant Corners on their Played Twice series was aired as a segment on BBC Radio 3's "Jazz on 3" show.  So excited to see my name as a reporter!  My first credit but hopefully not my last.  You can "listen again" to it here for the next 17 days.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02k6g5s


Celebrating the Divas of Jazz

I will be honoring the classic divas once more in Worcestershire in March.  Looking forward to it!

26 Mar - St Barnabas Church Hall, Church Road, Rainbow Hill, Worcester,WR3 8NX
27 Mar - Clows Top Victory Hall, Mamble Road (A456) Clows Top,  DY14 9HX

 
 

Fudge, Fauld and Family-Friendly Jazz

As you may be able to tell from the title, November was a varied and interesting month.

Family-Friendly Jazz

The first Family Friendly performance of "Family Jazz Allstars Featuring Juliet Kelly" for the EFG London Jazz Festival was a huge success.  We had a sold out Purcell Room audience who were very much up for joining in and singing along.  A crowd of children (and some parents!) rushed to the front of the stage for our encore and entertained us with their dance moves.  Hopefully this will be the first of many and that 2015 sees us performing this show around the UK - and even abroad.

Fauld

Then it was back on the rural road with Celebrating the Divas of Jazz.The first of two shows took place in the tiny hamlet of Milton.  

I am so grateful to Live & Local and Arts Council England for supporting these performances.  It's such a pleasure to perform at these village halls and community spaces at some of the most beautiful spots in the country.  Unfortunately due to the time of year we didn't see as much of the scenery as I would have liked but this was more than made up for by the warm responses of the audiences.

During the show I mentioned the fifties and how much I love the fashion of the era. After the first show a lovely lady called Ann came up to me and said that she had a vintage cigarette holder that she would love to give to me as it was something she inherited from her aunt and had no use for.  She kindly dropped it off at the hotel the next morning and what a beautiful thing it is!

Anne told me about her glamorous aunt Patricia Makin who even up until the day she died a few months ago, was the height of glamour, always immaculately turned out and wouldn't leave the house without her make-up!  It was a interesting co-incidence that the day of the performance coincided with the 70th anniversary of the RAF Fauld explosion. According to Wikipaedia (yes I know - but it's usually mostly right!) it was one of the in history and the largest to occur on UK soil.  Aunt Pat was one of the people working at the underground munitions storage depot at the time but fortunately was unhurt.  At least 70 people and 200 cattle were not so lucky.

Aunt Pat, tall, slim and elegant lived well into her nineties.  She was never married and one of the things inherited by her niece was this glamorous cigarette holder; unused because she could barely afford it and certainly couldn't afford to smoke but longed to own something that projected the glamour of her idols, Princess Margaret and Sophia Loren.

NB:  I don't intend to take up smoking although I love the idea of cigarette holders.  Am trying to think of an inventive way to use it... perhaps in a promo photograph - ideas welcomed!

Fudge

I seem to have become a fudge connoisseur!  This is the third bag of fudge I've bought during my travels this year.  But this time I have a foolproof excuse.  It's the perfect flavour - so much so that it would have been rude not to!

This beauty was bought in a fabulous Olde Sweet Shoppe in Eccleshall (I was practically squealing with delight when I saw the cornucopia of sweet delicacies on display!) where we spent the day before our performance at the lovely Broughton Parish Room in Wetwood.  This was one of the smallest places we've played - just 40 people live in the hamlet (mostly farmers) - but we had a full house of nearly 100 due to people coming along from the neighbouring villages.  A fabulous night!

Limited Edition EP

Just a reminder to get your limited edition Spellbound Stories EP soon as it will be removed on 31 December 2014.  Thanks to those of you who have kindly supported me so far.  It's really appreciated.  Every sale means I'm closer to releasing the full album next year.  Buy it here.

Celebrating The Divas in Herefordshire and Shropshire

So it was back on the rural road last month with Arts Alive for more performances in some wonderful village halls.  Here are some pics.

Was very pleased to hear that our first performance was sold out!

Winforton Community Hall turned out to be the beautiful St Michael's Church

And it was even more beautiful inside - a gorgeous venue

Garway Village Hall was less ornate but this was more than made up for by the warmth of the audience

Snailbeach Village Hall (There was no beach and no snails either but it was absolutely fabulous!)

A Snailbeach parking meter

Springtime Rural Rambles

Spring is in the air.  The clocks go forward on Sunday and last week we saw our first sunny days of the year.  I was actually able to wear my sunglasses for the first time this year!

And as has been the case for the last 3 years, spring for me means rural rambles.  I have 4 performances coming up in April and May with the excellent David Frankel on piano.

Celebrating the Divas of Jazz

04 Apr - Calver Village Hall, Main Street, Calver, Derbyshire, S32 3XR
05 Apr - Gilbert Sheldon Hall, Stanton, Derbyshire, DE6 2DA
16 May - Winforton Community Hall, St Michael's Church, Winforton, Herefordshire, HR3 6EA
17 May - Garway Village Hall, Garway, Herefordshire, HR2 8RQ
18 May - Snailbeach Village Hall,Shropshire, SY5 0NX

Making Music in Minsk (and Accidental Shopping!)

I've just returned from a lovely week in Minsk where I performed three "Divas of Jazz" concerts with a fabulous local band to very warm and appreciative audiences.   The weather was mostly very kind; apart from a few exciting thunderstorms it was very warm and sunny.  Also met some wonderful people.  Hope to go back soon!

The Venues

Palace of the Republic

Palace of the Trade Unions - a stunning building!

Poster at the entrance of the club

The Band

With Andrei (sax), Dimitri (piano) and Alexei (bass)

With Katerina (tour manager) and Alexei (drums)

Going Home

I flew out on a regular plane that you'd expect to see on a short haul flight -3 seats across on both sides.  I was very happy when I saw there were only a few people booked onto the return flight and had visions of stretching out across the seats for the 3-hour flight...  Imagine my surprise when the transit bus pulled up to this "mini" aeroplane.  It barely seated 50 people!  Definitely the smallest plane I've ever flown on and there were some dicey moments of turbulence when I wondered if we would make it!

Private plane?

And Accidental Shopping...

I was very good throughout my stay and didn't go out to any shops but... as luck would have it :-)  and amazing designer (Valentina Filimonova) came to my final concert and brought one of her creations.  I bought it on the spot and absolutely love it!  It's multi-coloured gold (so very glam!) made from very good quality leather.  And it's reversible with changeable coloured handles and pockets!

I love the fact that I didn't even need to go to the shops.  Shopping came to me! :-)

This photo doesn't really do it justice.  It's beautiful!

Glam Goes Rustic - Back on the Road in March

Happy New Year!

I've decided to make no resolutions this year.  My only plan is to enjoy life and make the most of any opportunities that come my way.  :-)  

I'm really looking forward to returning to the Midlands in March.  I'll also be debuting Celebrating the Divas of Jazz in Gloucestershire too.  Here are the dates and locations.  I'll be performing with the wonderful Kate Williams on piano.  Do come and see us if you're nearby.

Fri 15 Mar - Upper Broughton Village Hall,  Notts  LE14 3BA      
Sat 16 Mar - Frampton Village Hall,  Lincs  PE20 1AR
Thu 21 Mar - Waltham on the Wolds Village Hall, Leics LE14 4AG
Fri 22 Mar - St Mary’s Hall, Radclffe on Trent, Notts NG12 2FD
Sat 23 Mar - Allington Village Hall,  Lincs NG32 2DZ
Thu 28 Mar - Evergreen Hall, Broadwell, Gloucs GL16 7DL
Fri 29 Mar - Westbury on Severn Parish Hall, Gloucs  GL14 1PF
Sat 30 Mar - Box Village Hall, Stroud, Gloucs  GL6 9HR                     

 

Glam Goes Rustic In The Midlands: Tealby & Mareham Le Fen

All of the villages we've visited have been lovely but Tealby was so adorable!  It was like something you'd see on a painting or chocolate box.  So pretty.  As you can see, the village hall was as pretty as the rest of the village.  The audience were great too - apart from two members who tried to storm the stage at the end of the first set.  Two big, fat, hairy spiders!!!  Eeek!  Someone in the first row kindly ushered them into the ladies loo so that I was able to continue singing.  Although that meant I had to cross my legs for the rest of the eveninbg.  :-)

After lunch at one of the oldest pubs in the country, we headed for Mareham Le Fen.  We were a little worried when we heard that our show clashed with the golf club's awards dinner - obviously a big problem in a small village - but our fears were unfounded as there was yet another full house.  We had a wonderful evening and it was made even more special when my pianist David discovered that he and the promoter Roz were "birthday twins" by one week and were born in exactly the same area in Essex.  All that way to find someone who grew up around the corner from you!

So another rural tour over and another wonderful store of memories of visiting some of the most beautiful parts of the country.  Can't wait for next March - when I'll be doing it all again! :-)

Tealby Village Hall

A vintage ice cream van parked beside the hall

Not manyshops in Tealby but this butcher's is apparently famous for selling the best sausages in Lincs!

The Kings Head - a thatched pub built in 1367

David with Roz -his birthday twin!

Glam Goes Rustic in the Midlands: North Muskham & East Markham

We visited two more beautiful vilages on the 12th and 13th October.    The B&B located right beside the River Trent was adorable - with gorgeous views.  The back garden led straight to the river and a lovely riverside walk.  And even better, it was next door the pub!  For lunch all I had to do was walk out of the back garden, walk along the riverside for 30 secs and then into the back garden of the pub.  Couldn't have been more convenient!

We had two great evenings. A very knowledgeable audience in North Muskham kept me on my toes and there was lots of lively banter.  In East Markham the next evening, things took a turn for the dramatic when an ambulance had to be called out as an elderly gentleman had cut his leg on his way into the village hall.  Thankfully it was only a minor injujry but they called the ambulance to be on the safe side.  After the delay the show went ahead as planned and it was another full house.  It's such a joy to perrform for people who love what I do and are so warm and appreciative.  I love my job!  :-)

The view of the river from my bedroom at the B&B

A walk along the riverside (after lunch at the pub!)

East Markham Village Hall

Glam Goes Rustic in the Midlands: Morcott & Belton

Wow!  Had such a great time last weekend.  Looking forward to more rural Midlands enjoyment this weekend in North Muskham and East Markham.  And as you'll see from the photos below, we were lucky with some amazing weather too.

Friday we arrived in Morcott.  It was a lovely little village.  So little in fact that we got lost!  We drove past what was the high street and were convinced it was just a side street until we got to the next village where we realised that the high street WAS the village.  Ha ha!  I obviously need to get out of London more!

Belton was a little bigger but still tiny with a population of around 500 and just one pub/hotel/restaurant for the whole village.  But I have to say we had an absoutely wonderful meal there.  It may be the only choice but I'm sure people come from miles around to sample the excellent food.   We discovered another lovely eatery in nearby Uppingham too,  A tea room with adjoining bakery which sold the most delicious home-made cakes.  Their chocolate and ginger flapjack was delicious!

Morcott Village Hall.  Gorgeous!

No it's not a public telephone box, it's a public defibrilator!

Close up of defibrilator where you'd normally expect a telephone

Church in Belton - and next to it, one of the few remaining free-standing maypoles in the country.

Glam Goes Rustic (The Sequel) - Etton, Bridlington & Swanland

I've just returned from a lovely 3 days in East Yorkshire where I took my "Celebrating the Divas of Jazz" show to village halls in Etton, Bridlington & Swanland.

The journey up the M1 was quite eventful for Kate and me because although we left in plenty of time and even stopped on the way for a bit of lunch, it became clear after our break that there was a problem on the motorway.  An accident caused us to be stuck in traffic and what should have been a 3 and a half hour journey actually took a whopping 7 hours!  We arrived with just 10mins to spare.  I quickly donned my glad rags at our excellent B&B (Hunter's Hall in Beverley) and we were on our way.

We were met with such a lovely audience and hosts at Etton Village Hall that I forgot all about the nightmare journey.  Tickets were sold out and we had a rapturous response from the audience.

Our gig at the Spotlight Theatre in Bridlington also went very well.  We had a lively audience in and one gentleman gave us all lots of laughs when I asked those who could remember to tell me about the clothing of the 1950s to set the mood for the song I was about to perform.  The man who said he was of 1920s vintage took great delight in telling me that ladies used to wear bloomers and the lady next to him reminded him that they used to be called PK's - aka Passion Killers!

Swanland Village Hall was situated in one of the most idyllic settings I've seen  and I couldn't resist taking some photos (below).  Once again there was a full house and a lively audience where the show was extremely well received. 

I love performing in village halls and hope I get to chance to do more.  Here's to Glam Goes Rustic - Part 3!



View across the pond in Swanland
The last swans died and the villagers were told they were not permitted to replace them.



Swanland Village Hall



Another gorgeous view




Finally managed to capture a view of the fountain



Glam Goes Rustic (The Sequel), Snake Accessories & Meeting Bill Bailey

So looking forward to heading up to East Riding of Yorkshire for my second rural mini-tour on Friday.  Kate and I will be "Celebrating the Divas of Jazz" on:

Fri 23-Mar 7.30 Village Hall  Etton  HU17 7PQ
Sat 24-Mar 7.30 Spotlight Theatre  Bridlington  YO15 3DS
Sun 25-Mar 7.30 Village Hall  Swanland   HU14 3QR

On Saturday I had a lovely chat with Tony Barker from Vixen 101 radio to promote the tour.

Just heard today that the first show is already sold out -  woo hoo!

Looking forward to getting out into the countryside again and will be packing my walking shoes.  Took a bit of an unexpected walk on the wild side last weekend when I peformed at an event hosted by Bill Bailey (acclaimed comedian and musician).  There was another entertainer present whose act included several wild animals including a beautiful snake that I just had to try on!

Mr with my gorgeous (live) snake scarf

Bill Bailey was a wonderful host and is a very lovely man. (He also said very nice things about my singing.)  Here we are together.

Me with Bill Bailey

So all I need now is for the sun to shine on Yorkshire this weekend and I will be a very happy bunny indeed! :-)

A Rural English Indian Summer - Cumbria, Durham & Northumberland

Wow!  If I had superpowers and controlled the weather, this would be exactly the kind of weather I would have chosen for my rural tour!  There I was worrying about wellies and the like and here we are in glorious sunshine and the perfect weather to enjoy the spectacular views in beautiful Cumbria.

Dufton

Kate and I had a great time at the first of our gigs last night.  A full house turned out and we had lots of lovely comments and positive feedback on our performance.  We are staying in a gorgeous B&B with amazing foods and very welcoming and knowledgeable hosts.  Couldn't ask for more really.

Dufton Village Hall

The audience

This morning, after a very hearty breakfast of freshly baked bread and local produce, we headed off for a walk along the Pennine Way.  Absolutely stunning views.

The view!

More stunning views

And yet more...

Kate - Pennine Way

And after the long walk I felt a cream tea in the cafe on the village green was more than justified. :-)

Village Green

UPDATE:  Sunday 2 October

We've had such a great time!  Cumbria was absolutely wonderful.  After Dufton, we had gigs in Boldron (technically Durham) and Armathwaite.  Full houses at both gigs again and absolutely lovely audiences as well as very gracious and helpful hosts.  All the great things you hear about northern hospitality are all true!

Dry stone wall and fells are typical of the Cumbrian countryside - stunning!

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We encountered several streams... and lots of mud! Those sequinned wellies wouldn't have stood a chance!

Then last night we drove to Wooler in Northumberland and played to a packed and very warm (in both senses of the word!) audience.  The weather was so warm that I didn't need a coat or jacket even at midnight.  Once more we were looked after very well but the well organised hosts.  The weather has turned a bit today but the views and autumn colours are truly spectacular.

Tonight is our last show in Stocksfield.  It will be sad to leave the countryside but I'm looking forward to having a break before my band and I head up to Wakefield Jazz Club on the 14 October.  I just can't keep away from the north these days!