Happy New You!

Jazz Carols at Methodist Central Hall Westminster

I've never been a huge fan of New Year's resolutions and I'm not going to start now.  I believe in New Day's resolutions.  :D  Every morning we can set the reset button and plan to make the changes we want in our lives.  As well as planning the changes, we also need to actually carry them out (that's normally where I get stuck!) but I'm working on it...

I had my first ever experience of working with a choir for the Hull Jazz Festival in November.  The Hull Junior Choir sang beautifully and it was wonderful to hear them sing backing vocals to my original song Little Things from Spellbound Stories.  A really highlight of the year!

Hull Jazz Festival 2018 poster 

Albemarle Music Centre - venue for the concert with Hull Junior Choir

And then I had another chance to share the stage with some great gospel singers for the Jazz Carols concert at Westminster Central Hall with the Dan Forshaw Quartet.  I love singing in a group and our harmonies we sang for Silent Night (arranged by German saxophonist Birgitta Flick) really was magical - sent chills up my spine!  And I also got to meet Songs of Praise and ex-Blue Peter Presenter Diane Louise Jordan who presented the concert.  A lovely woman!

Jazz Carols poster

After the concert with the lovely Diane Louise Jordan

And it's not stopping there because I'll be singing with 3 other wonderful singers for the new jazz recital performance of The Austerity Playbook making its London debut on 18 January at Hoxton Hall.  Some great music written by Andrea Vicari to lyrics about the austerity measures in the UK through the decades.  Maybe I'll see some of you there.

Happy New Year, Happy New You!

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.  :-)