Goodbye UK, Hello Ukraine!

Uzhhorod Cathedral

Just for a few days I'll be visiting the picturesque city of Uzhhorod in Western Ukraine and then I'll be making my way through the beautiful, mountainous scenery to revisit historic Odessa.  So looking forward to being back there.  Spent a wonderful New Year's Eve there at an amazing hotel back in 2016.  I'm a little worried about the cold and so will have to make sure to pack my thermals.

The two performances are taking place at ILKO Gallery and then at jazz club Perron No7.  Both gigs are totally sold out and am told they have a jazz hungry audience there so very much looking forward to performing for them with a great local trio led by Alexey Petuhov.

Back in the UK I have gigs coming up in the spring at Royal Albert Hall (as part of their Women and the Hall series), Birmingham Jazz and The Stables in Milton Keynes. 

I'm also working hard on setting up a UK tour for the Autumn with my new project.  I have a feeling it's going to be a very good year. :)

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!

Black History Month, LJF & the final chapter of Spellbound Stories

Performing at Methodist Central Hall Westminster for Jazz Vespers with Dan Forshaw Qrt

October has been a crazy month.  I've gone from performing for over a dozen toddlers running around and bouncing on cushions whilst listening to the Divas of Jazz for The Streets community high street project in Twickenham (cute!) to performing gospel songs to a huge audience at Westminster Central Hall during Jazz Vespers as part of Black History Month (awesome!).  And in between I also visited Birmingham Jazz for the first time and had an amazing, appreciative audience for the final Spellbound Stories tour date (wonderful but also sad).


The Streets

The Streets is an amazing project bringing music to unusual places on the local high streets.  Kate Williams and I performed in a lovely local Italian Restaurant, a library (with aforementioned cushions in the children's section) and a beautiful stately home called York House.   There are few more performances next month.  Would be great to see you if you're local.

14 Nov - Ilford Library  11am & 12.45pm
22 Nov - Leyton Library 11.15am & 12.30pm


Spellbound Stories - The Final Chapter

Our gig at Birmingham Jazz for Black History Month was such a lovely end to the Spellbound Stories tour dates.  We had a great audience and lots of lovely feedback.  Huge thanks to my amazing band, all the promoters and venues who booked us and my lovely agent Sabina at Mo' Connections.  Although the chapter is over, there is a chance of an epilogue or two next year as there has been some interest from literary festivals.  I will keep you posted.  Until then, here are some great photos taken by Brian Homer at the Birmingham Jazz gig.

With Nick Ramm on piano

Eddie Hick on drums

Oli Hayhurst on bass

Jazz Vespers

My final gig for Black History Month was Jazz Vespers at  Methodist Central Hall in Westminster.  It was an amazing, very well organised event and the audience loved it!  It included powerful readings from Martin Luther King by Darren Raymond and contributions from many members of the church all backed by Dan Forshaw's excellent quartet.  From all the positive feedback I think there's a good chance it will happen again.  Again, I will keep you posted.

Just one week now until I'm off to Italy!  Can't wait to go back to one of my favourite countries in the world.  Once again I'll be performing with the wonderful Daniele Gorgone Trio.  We'll be kicking off with two nights at Gregory's Jazz Club in Rome.  It's currently raining and only 16 degrees in Rome but I refuse to let that dampen my spirits.  Italia, here I come!

03 Nov - Gregory's Jazz Club, Rome
04 Nov - Gregory's Jazz Club, Rome
05 Nov - la claque, Genoa
06 Nov - Jazz Club Torino, Turin
07 Nov - Raindogs House, Savona

08 Nov - Ex Wide, Pisa


EFG London Jazz Festival

It's that time of year again!  Once again, I'll be doing some family friendly concerts with Family Jazz All Stars.  We've got two at artsdepot and one at Cadogan Hall.  I'll also be performing and chatting to Alyn Shipton for Jazz Record Requests on 14 Nov live at the Barbican for BBC Radio 3.  November is going to be another busy month! :-)

14 Nov - Jazz Record Requests @ Barbican Freestage, London 5pm
15 Nov - artsdepot, Finchley 11am & 2pm
21 Nov - Cadogan Hall, London  2pm

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.  :-)