Summer is finally here

Naadia Sheriff (piano), Juliet Kelly (vocals) and Amy Baldwin (bass)
with the songs of Nina Simone at Ipswich Jazz Club

Summer is finally here in the UK!  It took a while to appear but I'm really enjoying these warm, sunny days.

Since my last post, we had a great gig at Ipswich Jazz Club with the songs of Nina Simone, and I also did a short rural tour for Live & Local with my Bond to Bowie show. 

At the end of this month I'm really looking forward to performing again at Ronnie Scott's.  I think it's been seven years since I did my first and only performance there with the late Frank Holder.  This time I'll be performing the early set (6.15-7pm) before Courtney Pine and his House of Legends!  It's been fifteen years since I first performed with Courtney at the Barbican for the BBC4 TV show Jazz Britannia.  Looking forward to sharing the stage with him once again.  I'll be singing the songs of Nina Simone before his first set so you'll need to book the 17:30 show (first house).  Hope to see some of you there!

Tues 30 & Weds 31 Jul,  5.30pm - Ronnie Scott's Club, London

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

 
 

Secret Life of a Jazz Diva

Happy New Year!  (Yes, it's still January so I can just about get away with it!)

January has been treating me well so far and I'm looking forward with great optimism to the rest of 2015.


Live on the Radio

The gig I played with the Jazz Nights band in Clare, Suffolk was broadcast on BBC Radio Suffolk at the beginning of the month.  You can still listen for another 10 days here:

Part 1:  S'Wonderful and Mutual Attraction http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02fk3kd

Part 2:  My Foolish Heart and Forbidden Fruit http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02fl9zb

Part 3:  April in Paris, One Note Samba and My Baby Just Cares For Me http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02fk3kk

Part 4:  Mood Indigo and Tainted Love http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02fk3qf


New Newsletter

Yes, I'm starting a new newsletter called "Secret Life of a Jazz Diva" where I will be sharing some behind the scenes snippets, photos and other good stuff!  I'll also be passing along tips and sharing some of my favourite things with you like other artists, cool gadgets, websites and of course some seriously groan-worthy jokes.  Sign up here and you'll also receive an exclusive download of the song that has moved audiences to tears.

Sign up now


More Radio Stuff

Some of you know that I've done some radio presenting in the past, doing some stints at BBC Radio Kent and with my own show at the short-lived UK Jazz Radio.  Well, I did my first stint as a radio reporter for BBC Radio 3's "Jazz on 3" last week!  Scary but very exciting.  I went along to a great night in a venue in Hackney called Brilliant Corners where they have a monthly event called "Played Twice" where the audience listen to a classic jazz album and then this is followed by a live band playing the same album again. This month it was 5 by Monk by 5 played by Byron Wallen's excellent quintet.  The show is due to be broadcast sometime in February. 

So here's to a fabulous 2015!  Next month I'll finish mixing the final tracks of my Spellbound Stories album (here's a sneak peek of some backing vocals I added last week) and I will also be taking part in a concert at The Barbican called "Jazz for Labour" alongside a whole host of amazing musicians including Courtney Pine, Soweto Kinch and John Etheridege.  Bring it on!