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

Happy Spring!

The Austerity Playbook at Hoxton Hall

Spring is finally here!  I tend to go into hibernation mode during the winter and am so glad that we've officially crossed the threshold and summer isn't too far away.  :)

So, things have been pretty quiet.  Being part of the satirical jazz musical, The Austerity Playbook, with was a blast!  It was an absolute whirlwind of learning, rehearsals and finally the performance but I had so much fun working with the other singers and it all came together in the end.   There were no diva dresses or fascinators for me this time.  Felt strange to be on stage in drab clothes but it was part of my persona as a librarian.  Note the glasses for added authenticity!

Last month I made a return to Ipswich Jazz Club with my Nina Simone show.  It was almost exactly 3 years since my previous visit.  How time flies!  The audience loved the show and it was fun to perform those beautiful songs again.

This week I'm back on the rural road with Bond to Bowie in Leicestershire and Lincolnshire. 

Fri 5 April - Toynton Village Hall, Spilsby
Sat 6 April - North Thoresby Village Hall, Grimsby
Sun 7 April - Winthorpe Community Centre, Newark

And I've started writing again!  It's been a while but hoping to have some new songs ready very soon. 

It's great (not grim) up north!

Performing at Gala Theatre, Durham (photo by Malcolm Sinclair)

Love performing up north!  The audiences are always so warm and friendly.  And they definitely lived up to my expectations in Durham and Gosforth.  Even better, our gig at Gala Theatre in Durham was completely sold out and we had to turn people away at the door.  Although our audience at Gosforth Civic Centre was smaller, they definitely made up for it with their energy and enthusiasm!

I travelled up by train from London, did two gigs (Durham and Gosforth) and then took the train back that same evening.  Phew!  It was definitely worth it though. :)  Here's a link to a lovely review:

https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/culture/16892421.juliet-kelly-divas-of-jazz-gosforth-civic-theatre/

Then the following week I performed as part of an all-star line up for E15 Jazz Sessions at Stratford Circus.  Another well attended gig that was a huge success.  It's so great to see people turning out for live music.  Long may it continue!

Next week I'm back on the rural road through Live & Local with my Bond to Bowie show.  So looking forward to singing those lovely songs again and talking about the movies, television and shows I love.  Later in the month I'll performing Divas of Jazz for my debut appearance at Chichester Jazz Club with special guest Tommaso Starace on sax.  Can't wait!

Thu 4 Oct, 7.30pm -Rolleston Village Hall, Staythorpe Road, Rolleston NG23 5SG
Fri 5 Oct, 7.30pm - Thorpe Astley Community Centre, Lakin Drive, Leicester LE3 3RU
Sat 6 Oct, 7.30pm - Ashton under Hill Village Hall, Elmley Road, Ashton under Hill, Evesham, WR11 7SW
Fri 19 Oct, 7.45pm - Chichester Jazz Club, Pallant Suite, 7 S Pallant, Chichester PO19 1SY

Moons, Masons and M&S

I love taking photos of bridges over water. 
This was my first view of beautiful Norwich on the way to the hotel.

There was a chaise longue in my hotel room!  A chaise longue is
definitely one of my favourite things.

Kate Williams and I were booked to perform under this art installation of the moon during the full moon.  Unfortunately the windy conditions meant the artwork was moved inside and we perofrmed outsidebut it was absolutely stunning.

Soundcheck - done!  Just a few minutues until the seats were filled
with jazz fans fo all ages. We had fun!

Really enjoyed working with these guys.  Kate Williams, Cosimo Keita, Tony Kofi & Oli Hayhurst.
We also got a great review here

David Preston and I on our way to Bath for the Bath Festival to perform the new
collaboration project with performance poet Zena Edwards!
(I'm definitely #teamnero #properitaliancoffee)

Another beautiful bridge - this time spotted on the way to the hotel in Bath.

We spent the day before the show rehearsing in a small theatre above a church. 
David and Zena working on one of her songs.

And this was our venue - Masonic Hall which is part of the Old Theatre Royal.
A really stunning room.

I had a great time working with Zena on our project and we got lots of wonderful
feedback from the audience.

The next day David and I did an impromptu performance for the shoppers in M&S.  Some bewildered looks as we set up next to the lingerie!  Lots of nice comments from the surprised shoppers.  And another bonus is that I found these gorgeous sparkly shoes.

Next on the agenda are some London performances and a return to Oxford.  Hope to see you there!

08 June:  Bond to Bowie @ Bar Zedel, London
25 June:  Special Guest with house band at Summertown Wine Cafe, Oxford
28 June:  Divas of Jazz @ Bar Zedel, London
29 July:  Nina & Other Divas @ Boisdale of Canary Wharf, London

Bowie, Bath and Beyond

Masonic Hall

It's been a quiet couple of months as far as performances go but things are going to be picking up in the spring.

Lots of exciting gigs planned.  I'm back with more Bond to Bowie in a return visit to Saffron Hall where we had lots of fun last year with Family Jazz All Stars.  And speaking of Family Jazz, I'll be featured once again with this project for two shows at Norwich Playhouse for the Norwich & Norfolk Festival in May.  Looking forward to playing with my fabulous all star band again.  Here's an interview that I did about the show before last year's performance.

28 April - Bond to Bowie (with Jennifer Carr), Saffron Hall
13 May - Family Jazz All-Stars, Norwich Playhouse, Norfolk & Norwich Festival

And at the end of May I'll be working on a new project with the excellent performance poet/spoken word artist Zena Edwards for the Bath Festival.   We'll be performing songs around the themes of our past, present, future and what it means to be a thinking and feeling person in an increasingly self-centred, "post-truth" world.  The show will take place in the beautiful Masonic Hall at the Old Theatre Royal, a setting that will make this debut performance even more special.

22 May - New Meetings: Juliet Kelly & Zena Edwards, Masonic Hall, Bath Festival

In the summer, gigs will be happening in Oxford, London and possibly Italy!  I will keep you posted.

2016 has been an interesting year...

With Brexit in the UK followed by Donald Trump in the US, it's certainly been an "interesting" year...

There have been ups and downs -  a couple of the ups being my trip to Crete in July to perform at their jazz festival with the amazing Dimitri Vassilakis and getting back on the rural road with my new Bond to Bowie show in the autumn.  The tour included return visits to a couple of village halls that I had performed at as part of my first ever rural tour with my Divas of Jazz show.  Once again, we had a great time visiting these gorgeous parts of the country.  And we also got a great review for the show in Cotherstone.  Read it here.

Performing in Crete with Dimitri Vassilakis Quartet

Middleton & Todridge Village Hall

Whittingham Memorial Institute

Lund Village Hall

Kirton in Lindsey Town Hall

Beverley Minster - We stayed in beautiful Beverley for the last leg of the tour

Swanland Village Hall - looking Christmassy

A lovely note received after the show in Swanland from a 12-year-old audience member!

I also got the chance to try my hand at being a presenter/host for some of the London Jazz Festival shows.  Really enjoyed it and hope to be doing more of this, alongside any radio presenting opportunities that my come up.

Next year I'm looking forward to appearing at more festivals and possibly some performances in Germany too.  Watch this space!

Until then, here's a video of my song "Little Things".  Happy Holidays!

Back on the Rural Road

Middleton Village Hall

The debut performance for Bond to Bowie took place in the same village hall in Dufton as the debut performance of Celebrating the Divas of Jazz.  Once again it was a great success!  We had so much fun playing some of my favourite songs - songs which turned out to be favourites of many in the audience too,  And it was wonderful to work with Jennifer Carr again who until recently I hadn't performed with for over 10 years!  We also had some great audiences in Frosterly, Middleton and Whittingham.

There are still 6 more shows to come and I can't wait to sing those songs again and visit more tucked away, beautiful rural parts of the UK.

Sat 15-Oct-16 Amble Parish Hall, Northumberland NE65 0DX
Sun 16-Oct-16 Cotherstone Village Hall, County Durham DL12 9PG
Fri 28-Oct 7.30 Lund Village Hall, Yorkshire YO25 9TF
Sat 29 Oct - Broughton Hall, Brigg, North Lincolnshire DN20 0JG
Thu 01-Dec-16 Kirton in Lindsey Town Hall, North Lincolnshire DN21 4LZ
Fri 02-Dec-16 8.00 Winteringham Village Hall, North Lincolnshire DN15 9NN
Sat 03-Dec-16 7.30 Swanland Village Hall, Yorkshire HU14 3QR
Sun 04-Dec-16 8.00 Bishop Burton Village Hall, Yorkshire HU17 8QJ

New Show - Bond to Bowie: Songs of Stage & Screen

So excited about my new show!  After focusing on novels for my last album, I got to thinking about my favourite songs from cinema, stage and television.  I'll be touring this new show around the village halls of Northumberland, Yorkshire and Cumbria in September and October.  There'll also be a London show at the Elgar Room at Royal Albert Hall on 6 October. 


Bond to Bowie: Songs of Stage & Screen

Juliet Kelly is one of UK jazz’s hidden treasures.  Gifted with a beautiful, expressive voice, she is also a talented, highly original songwriter, who draws on a diverse set of influences and has performed with the likes of Courtney Pine, Seb Rochford and Talvin Singh.  She has appeared at clubs and festivals throughout the UK and Europe and opened for legendary artists such as Georgie Fame and Take 6. 

After several successful tours of her show "Celebrating the Divas of Jazz", the acclaimed singer and songwriter now shines a spotlight on her favourite songs from stage and screen. Bringing her warm personality and a jazzy flavour to the songs from classic movies, musicals and tv shows, Juliet will take you on a whistle-stop tour through the ages of musical entertainment.

"One of those rare singers that tells a genuine story with her music, through her passionate performance and naturally warm voice, it's a beguiling combination that's hard to resist. One of the UK's finest singers in any genre" TIME OUT

"The nuanced warmth of Kelly's rich, full voice is streets ahead of most of her contemporaries."  BBC MUSIC

www.julietkelly.com