ANOUSHKA LUCAS/ TIM + HATTIE WHITEHEAD / GWYNETH HERBERT
The thrust of what I put on here at the Club has always been governed by the adage, often ascribed to the great Duke Ellington, that "There are two types of Music - Good music and Bad music". Following that advice, when booking artists I tend to concern myself less with rigid concepts of style and content and more with the question "Is this good music well performed?" Which means that, although what we present is often Jazz or Jazz influenced, I do like to also promote a wide variety of other musics, from Indie, through Gospel, Soul and R&B to Latin bands and singer/songwriters. So, this evening sees the appearance of three of the very fine artists who regularly perform here at the Club, each of whom have their own unique and highly creative repertoires.
One of the most talented singer/songwriters of her generation, there's a great deal more to Anoushka Lucas than just "a girl with a guitar". She started with an EP released in 2009 that showcased her terrific, pure and characterful voice and which served as a springboard for a more adventurous second EP, released in 2011, entitled "Left to my Own Devices" that featured her inventive, musical and witty compositions. Her big break came when she was featured at the first ever Love Supreme Festival in 2013 as the winner of their "Discovery" competition and more recently has been touring and performing both as a solo artist and with her band. She continues to write music for the theatre and was recently featured on Jo Whiley’s “BBC Introducing” Radio 2 special, where Jamie Cullum described her as ‘a classic voice’. In a style that has been described as "sultry, sensual and sassy" this talented artist will be performing this evening with her band of Joseph Costi-keyboards, Ben Reed-bass and Yusuf Ahmed-drums. anoushkalucas.com/
The Tim & Hattie Whitehead band brings together saxophonist/composer father Tim with singer/guitarist/composer daughter Hattie, to play their own and other favourite songs and compositions. One of the UK's great jazz saxophonists I have known and admired Tim's playing since the days at the Old Club in the 1980's. A remarkable multi-award winning performer and composer Tim's cv, garnered over more than 40 years of performance at the highest level, is quite remarkable. From work with "Nucleus" in the 1970's, through "Loose Tubes" in the 80's to Artist in Residence at Tate Britain and a short-listing for the British Composer Of The Year Award in 2010 Tim has established himself as an International artist of note. London based singer/songwriter Hattie Whitehead takes influence from both old and new music, drawing upon the eclectic range of musical styles she has been surrounded by throughout her life. Distinguished by a pure vocal tone and crystal clear delivery Hattie has developed a style that is melodic, soulful and heartfelt. Hattie did a stint working for us here at the Club back in the day, so is very much family to us here, as is Tim. Which makes this set particularly relevant to our Festival programme. And finishing off the evening will be an artist who I have seen grow over the last 15 years from a young, quite shy, jazz influenced singer to the towering creative force that she is today. timwhitehead.co.uk/ :: :: hattiewhitehead.com/
One of the most striking performers working on the UK scene, Gwyneth Herbert's remarkable voice is something quite special, bringing sophistication to her own material, and a wonderful “edge” to the occasional cover. Since her first CD “Bittersweet and Blue”, released 10 years ago, she has gone on to produce an immensely impressive series of CDs featuring her quite brilliant songs, garnering universal praise including “wildly inventive...entirely a law unto itself” (The Metro). And not content with being one of the finest singer/songwriters in the country (really) she has also won two prestigious theatrical awards for her music, had them queuing around the block at the Rochester Jazz Festival in New York, written a song-cycle about the sea which debuted at the Aldeburgh Festival and composed and performed a specially commissioned soundtrack to the silent film “The Patsy”, amongst many other varied and impressive commissions and events. Tonight she will not only be singing but playing mandolin, French horn and as she puts it "everything but the kitchen sink....and possibly the kitchen sink!". Accompanying her on this musical journey will be the intricate piano of Ned Cartwright and the brilliant bass playing of Sam Burgess. Gwyneth is an artist we have watched grow in stature over the last few years to the position she now occupies as one of the most exciting and creative forces on the UK music scene. She is very special to us here at the Club and we are thrilled that she has found time from her massively busy schedule to make it down for this Festival evening. gwynethherbert.com/
“[Anoushka Lucas] you just get the sense there is real creativity going on...she's got it all" Jazz FM; “Tim Whitehead...the finest tenor player in Britain today" Jazz Review; "Hattie Whitehead...this talent deserves a spotlight" PressPlay OK; “Herbert…a remarkably gifted performer” Guardian