Category Archives: Vocal

BBC Proms 2023 – NYO Jazz (USA) with Dee Dee Bridgewater

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Prom 23 – NYO Jazz (USA) with Dee Dee Bridgewater

Dee Dee Bridgewater (vocals), NYO Jazz / Sean Jones (trumpet)

Duke Ellington trans. David Berger Braggin’ In Brass
Sean Jones The 29ers
Roy Hargrove arr. David Gibson Strasbourg/St. Denis
Duke Ellington arr. Slide Hampton Cottontail
Spencer Williams arr. John Clayton Basin Street Blues
Mongo Santamaría arr. Clayton Afro Blue
Newley / Bricusse Feeling Good
James Brown I Got You (I Feel Good)
Billie Holiday arr. Cecil Bridgewater Fine and Mellow
Leonard Lee arr. Frank Foster Let the Good Times Roll
Wycliffe Gordon We’re Still Here

Royal Albert Hall, London
Tuesday 1 August 2023, 10.15pm

by Richard Whitehouse photos by Chris Christodoulou / BBC

Jazz bands, battling or otherwise, have become something of a fixture for late-night Proms and this latest instance saw a debut at these concerts for NYO Jazz – together with a singer who has kept the role of jazz vocalist, long synonymous with big-bands, well and truly alive.

The latest incarnation of the jazz youth orchestras having emerged from Carnegie Hall over this past decade, NYO Jazz may have been relatively modest in numbers but lacked nothing in impact. That virtually all its members fell into the 18-25 category was duly belied by the sheer technical facility but also the versatility – whether individually or collectively – with which they ranged across the spectrum of styles as encompassed by the big-band medium, much of it suitably demonstrated by the 10 numbers that comprised this evening’s set-list.

The programme was launched in fine fashion with a sassy take on Duke Ellington’s Braggin’ in Brass, giving each of the orchestra sections its time in the spotlight. An energized presence as trumpeter and director, Sean Evans contributed a distinctive number in The 29ers, a tribute to jazzers born on the 29th of the month (not least Ellington); the prominence accorded brass and reeds complemented by limpid cameos for guitar and piano. Next was a smouldering take on Roy Hargrove’s Strasbourg / St Denis and notable for its intensive work-out on double bass.

Dee Dee Bridgewater – singer, actor, magnetic stage-presence and one of a (surprisingly?) select handful of vocalists who have moved between the very different domains of jazz and pop – then took the stage for an animated take on Ellington’s Cottontail, her distinctive scat to the fore alongside the NYOJ’s reeds. This was followed by the sultry strains of Afro Blue by Mongo Santamaría, its Cuban antecedents evident through driving percussion and lyrics whose ‘shades of delight’ sentiment was everywhere apparent. It might have had a complex genesis but the Anthony Newley / Leslie Bricusse number Feeling Good, later immortalized by Nina Simone, segued effortlessly into the James Brown classic I Got You (I Feel Good) – this latter’s swaggering impetus abetted by a visceral solo contribution from baritone sax.

The tempo relaxed incrementally for a soulful take on Billie Holiday’s Fine and Mellow, its all-round looseness enhanced by contributions on double bass, drum-kit and piano. Spencer Williams’ Basin Street Blues is a breezy number whose homages to Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong were uncannily emulated by Bridgewater’s vocal. She rounded off her sequence with a roistering take on the Shirley Goodman / Leonard Lee number Let the Good Times Roll, made famous by B.B. King and whose roster of brass here featured a stentorian trumpet solo.

Throughout this set (evidently designed with the requirements of a late-night Prom in mind, and one where only a few punters were seen leaving before the close), the NYOJ musicians gave their all. Sean Jones took lead on vocal and trumpet for the fervent groove of Wycliffe Gordon’s We’re Still Here, notable for its contributions from piano and electric keyboard – which instruments partnered Jones in his calmly affectionate allusion to the Londonderry Air, just before the final moments let rip to the undoubted delight of those on and off stage.

For more on the 2023 BBC Proms, visit the festival’s website at the BBC. Click on the names for more information on NYO Jazz, Sean Jones and Dee Dee Bridgewater.

BBC Proms 2023 – Mariza sings Fado

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Prom 9 – Mariza with Luis Guerreiro (Portuguese guitar), Phelipe Ferreira (acoustic guitar), Adriano Alves ‘Dinga’ (bass guitar), João Freitas (percussion), João Frade (accordion), Strings of the London Contemporary Orchestra

Royal Albert Hall, London
Friday 21 July 2023

by Richard Whitehouse photos by Chris Christodoulou / BBC

The incidence of ‘world music’ at the Proms might be appreciably less than in its heyday of two decades ago, but a number of major figures still tread the boards at the Albert Hall and hearing Mariza this evening prompted a thought as to why she had not been invited before.

Maybe because Fado, of which she became the leading exponent on the death of its previous standard-bearer Amália almost a quarter-century ago, is still heard as provincial in its idiom and appeal. Emerging from urbanized Brazilian in the mid-19th century, it latterly took hold in Portugal as a means of opposing the authoritarian regimes in power until 1975 and retains its cultural potency today. With her Mozambiquan heritage and willingness to embrace other genres, Mariza has widened the stylistic remit of Fado but without diluting its essential ‘soul’.

An elegant and commanding but never overbearing presence on stage, she was joined tonight by a quintet of musicians whose intricate if discreet accompaniment was the perfect backdrop for this representative cross-section from her eight albums released over the past two decades. The smouldering pathos of What a strange way of living set the prevailing mood, followed by the pensiveness of There are Words that Kiss Us and the intimacy of Tear with its first hint of that vocalise Mariza unfurls to heighten the emotional ambit. The engaging Paper Carnations has a resonance for all who recall events of nearly 50 years ago, while Rain is the archetypal Fado number the world over. The underlying restlessness of Vain Wishes was complemented perfectly with the plaintiveness of Where Are You Going? from Mariza’s forthcoming album.

Thus far the set featured the strings of London Contemporary Orchestra, whose atmospheric arrangements evoked those by Wally Stott (later Angela Morley) for Scott Walker’s late ’60s albums. Their departure none the less abetted the immediacy of the music-making, witnessed by the impulsiveness of A Kiss of Longing and confiding warmth of I Wish, before the radiant poise of Spring brought the expected ovation. Hardly less enthusiastic was that accorded The Best of Me, its soaring aspiration furthered by the propulsive tread of Green Lemons then the rousing sentiments of Listen, Mr Wine when the singer’s rapport with her audience was made manifest. There was no lack of verve in the infectious White Rose, or in the headily rhythmic Black Boat with its breathtaking pause where one could have heard the proverbial pin drop.

A later than usual start and absence of an interval meant that this concert proceeded straight through 85 minutes, though neither musicians nor audience betrayed any sign of fatigue over its course. While the majority of a near-capacity house doubtless consisted of afficionados or enthusiasts, those unfamiliar with Mariza will surely have been encouraged to delve further into her music. As a starting-point, the studio album Fado Tradicional (2010) or live album Concerto em Lisboa (2006) are ideal for immersing oneself into what this music has to offer.

Tonight, however, the strings of the LCO emerged back on the stage to accompany Mariza and her ensemble in the incantatory O People from My Country – if not (yet) the Portuguese national anthem, then certainly a number such as encapsulates Fado at its soul-stirring best.

For more on the 2023 BBC Proms, visit the festival’s website at the BBC. Click on the names for more information on Mariza and the London Contemporary Orchestra

The 1st of July – musical miniatures from Tchaikovsky and…Bomb The Bass

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With the arrival of July 1st, here are two very different musical responses to the month. The first is an extract from Tchaikovsky’s popular cycle for piano, The Seasons – designating July to be The Song of the Reaper:

Then, with the weather here in the UK having been a little downcast this morning, a very different response from Bomb The Bass. Winter In July is a wonderfully moody song, with vocals from Loretta Haywood. It could only be from the early 1990s!

Glastonbury minis – Kelis

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by Ben Hogwood

Unless you were under a rock all weekend, it won’t have escaped your notice that a certain music festival was taking place in the south of England. Glastonbury has lit up the music world since the 1970s, and even though it is bigger than ever before it seems to have retained a lot of the qualities that have made it so successful.

One of those qualities is bringing music of all genres to all people, crossing over all manner of boundaries – and one of the stages to do that most proficiently was the West Holts stage. With acts such as Young Fathers and Gabriels excelling earlier on Friday evening, the way was clear for Kelis to remind us just what an amazing vocalist she is. Here is just a snippet of her set, a powerful performance of Acapella, which you can watch as part of her full set on BBC Sounds:

Glastonbury minis – Elton John

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by Ben Hogwood

As I’m sure you know, Elton John is headlining at Glastonbury on Sunday night, his first appearance at the festival. It has taken me a long time to appreciate his music, to be honest, but I find the further back I go the more there is to enjoy.

Best of all – in my mind at least – is the disco era he enjoyed at the end of the 1970s, capped by this wonderful, life-affirming song. Are You Ready For Love is a beauty, right from the harp introduction, dressed with strings, to the memorable chorus. What price Elton opening with it tomorrow?