Love Language
Preview by Peter Ashton

A language student visits Europe to study French, Italian and German for a
Masters Degree in Comparative Literature, but ends up becoming a professional jazz singer. That’s the story of Stacey Kent who plays at Eastleigh’s Concorde Club with her band over two nights on Tuesday and Wednesday May 25 &26.
Now one of the world's foremost jazz singers, she has racked up five
best-selling albums and a string of awards, including the 2001 British Jazz Award and 2002 BBC Jazz Award for Best Vocalist. She has also built up a fan base that enables her to sell out concert halls around the world, as well as becoming a presenter on BBC Radio 2 with “Big Band Special” and on BBC Radio 3, with “Jazz Line Up.”
The twist of fate that steered Stacey’s life towards jazz was a chance
meeting in Oxford with saxophonist, Jim Tomlinson. Like Stacey, Jim was embarked on an academic path, but their meeting sparked in each other the desire to pursue their love of music together. After a year's study at the Guildhall School of Music, Stacey set about honing her skills on the London jazz scene in the company of, now husband, Jim Tomlinson. A demo tape, sent simultaneously to Polygram, Candid Records and broadcaster, Humphrey Lyttelton, secured her a role in Ian McKellen's “Richard III,” a recording contract and national airplay and endorsement from Britain's most respected jazz broadcaster.
Since the release of Stacey's first album, “Close Your Eyes” she has
achieved, without compromise, both critical and popular success, with her fresh and heart-felt interpretations of the finest love songs of the 20th century. Her most recent album, “In Love Again” is a celebration of Richard Rodgers in his centennial year, which was launched in style with a sold-out performance at the South Bank's Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.
Stacey has some celebrity fans too: Clint Eastwood invited Stacey to sing
at his 70th birthday party, Michael Parkinson invited her to sing on his
television show, as did Sir David Frost, who asked her to join him one Sunday morning in January 2003, to sing a song and review the morning papers on "Breakfast with Frost." And former Chancellor Of The Exchequer and jazz buff, Ken Clarke, has included Stacey's tracks on his recent BBC Radio series.
She has the style of the greats, like Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald,
and sings the words like Nat King Cole - clean, clear and almost
conversational with perfect phrasing.
Stacey is herself an avowed romantic, and the songs she sings are timeless stories that touch young and old alike, fulfilling a desire for sophisticated love songs that is not catered to by today's music industry, songs that unite the generations.
For more details on the Concorde gigs ring 02380 613989.

Peter Bruntnell is not a household name yet, but he deserves to be. He has received the kind of plaudits that many British songwriters would die for, and has the distinction of writing the best song about cryogenics ever written, “By The Time My Head Gets To Phoenix.” He plays a gig at The Railway Inn in Winchester with his band on Thursday May 27.
Often described as “alt country” Peter’s songs do have an American feel, but he is simply a very good songwriter and guitarist. He has recently re-recorded a collection of his best songs on his new album “Played Out.”
Now aged 40, Peter was actually born in New Zealand after his Welsh father had emigrated there to become a civil servant at the British High Commission in Auckland. Peter was two years old when the family returned to the UK to live in Kingston upon Thames. He has Inspired to write songs by Neil Young’s “After The Goldrush” as an adolescent.
As he puts it: "I'd learned to play guitar at school but it was just a minor
hobby. I could play chords and strum, but that was about it. I suppose it
was when I heard Neil Young's “After the Gold Rush” that everything changed.
All the music that I had listened to before just didn't translate for me."
After that fateful listening, Bruntnell travelled to France and Greece, playing and busking on the streets. He also performed at small bars to earn money along the way. "I'd play for $30 on a Monday night at a little bar near where I lived. I knew only about 30 minutes worth of songs!" In the next two months, Bruntnell increased his repertoire of Young, Nick Drake and John Martyn tunes, and became a regular performer. "I was on the dole for about 10 years, playing in bars, getting various bands together, and writing songs."
After a spell in Vancouver, Canada, he formed the band Milkwood on his return to the UK. When that group collapsed he moved to north Devon and continued to hone his songwriting. Peter made a couple of albums in the 1990s but first came to public attention in 1999 with his album “Normal for Bridgewater” which has become something of a cult classic. He has since built up a huge reputation in the UK and the USA with his well-crafted songs, and released another fine album “Ends of the Earth” in 2003.
If you’re into the music of people like Gram Parsons, you’ll love Peter
Bruntnell. Definitely a gig not to be missed at The Railway, for more
information ring 01962 867795.

Pop over to Poole if you you like your blues with a bit of soul. Mr Kyps
music venue in Parkstone welcome back singer and guitarist Eugene Hideaway Bridges on Friday May 21. The American made a big impression on his visit last year, with the owners of Mr Kyps describing it as one of the gigs of the year.
Born in 1963, the son of the blues guitarist Hideaway Slim, Eugene is the
fourth child of five. From the age of five he played with his father for two
years around Louisiana. At the age of seven Eugene and his brothers sang gospel under the name of The Bridges Brothers. He also became the musician for his church, St. Rock C.O.G.I.C., and toured with the Pastor, Elder A. A. Edwards.
By thirteen Eugene was entering R&B talent shows. He had soon formed his own R&B band, The Five Stars.
Eugene moved to Texas at sixteen to join the Air Force, where he played in the Air Force band for the next three years. On leaving he joined The New Chosen Singers on guitar and vocals. He went on to play with The Mighty Clouds of Joy. Following a move to Houston, he released the album “Blues, Rhythm and Blues,” and Gospel recordings by the three bands he was running at the time: a commercial soul band, a gospel band, and the first line-up of the Eugene 'Hideaway' Bridges Band. They toured the USA from coast to coast.
Eugene then came to Europe and began touring Belgium, France and Spain.
Big Joe Turner spotted him in Paris and offered him the position of Lead
Guitarist / Vocalist with The Memphis Blues Caravan. A year later he left to work under his own name again and formed The Eugene "Hideaway" Bridges Band.
He has been receiving rave reviews for his live performances, ever since.
Eugene has played, often headlining, at major festivals around the world in America, England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Belgium, Norway, Switzerland, Slovenia, Singapore, New Zealand and Australia. He whips up a storm wherever he goes with his distinctive southern sound.
Eugene has been awarded vocalist of the year by the UK's Blueprint magazine and Trophees France Blues 99 - Chanteur De L'Anee.
Mr Kyps is a great venue at 8a Parr St, Ashley Cross, Lower Parkstone ring 01202 748945 for more details.

If you want a truly original musical experience then go and see Yat Kha at Salisbury City Hall on Sunday May 23.  Basically, it’s Tuvan punk, astonishing music from a small  land-locked republic in the heart of Asia and part of the Russian Federation.  The unique throat-singing style of the area unites with guitar, zither, percussion and bass to create an eerie, unforgettable sound.
One of the hits of the Larmer Tree Festival in 2003, Yat Kha (the name
actually means zither) play traditional music reflecting their Tuvan roots with a contemporary punk energy.  Visually striking in their traditional costumes, the  music of the five accomplished musicians has an otherworldly sound evoking the wide-open spaces of the Tuvan steppes.  Their three albums have taken the Tuvan sound all over the world and the band comprising Albert Kuvezin, Zhenya
Tkcachov, Mahmoud Skripatschikov, Sailyk Ommun and Radik Tiuliush, have been hits at many festivals.
For more details of the “Storm Over Asia” concert on May 23 ring 01722 327676.

Storytime Scot
Preview by Peter Ashton

An artist I have heard a lot of good things about is playing a couple of gigs
in Hampshire this month.  Often compared favourably to Randy Newman, pianist and vocalist Michael Marra plays at Southampton’s Talking Heads on Wednesday May12  and the Tower Arts Centre in Winchester three days later on Saturday the
15th.
The man from Dundee counts such luminaries as Billy Connolly, Barbarra
Dickson and Eddi Reader as fans.  He is apparently a storyteller in song with an acerbic wit, mixing jazz, folk, pop and many other styles in his music.  His songs like  "Bob Dylan's Visit to Embra,"   "The Butterfly Flaps its Wings" and "Scribbled Down Drunk (But Posted Sober)” have also had critics likening his songwriting gifts to artists like Jacques Brel and Tom Waits. Lyrically rooted in Scottish culture, his songs are full  of perception and littered with characters, leading critics to describe him as “a poet in blue-suede shoes” and saying that “given an incident Marra will depict it from an angle that illustrates most effectively the daftness and vanity of humankind.”
Another critic describes his style as “soaked in the Scottish experience,
strained through a gauze of ragtime blues-piano and shot with filaments of traditional folk and American voices.”  Sounds intriguing doesn’t it ?  Oh, and he also worked as Musical Director on the BBC TV series, “Your Cheating Heart “

The fresh face of folk music is represented at The Turner Sims Concert Hall on Southampton University campus later this month. The award-winning young Irish band Danu play a concert organised in association with the Focsle Folk Club
on Thursday May 20.
The band were up in London recently to attend the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2004, where they won the Best Group award. Danu also featured in the Best Song category, as the Tommy Sands song "County Down", first track on their  latest album "The Road Less Travelled", won on the night.  The category title was "Best Original Song - 'County Down' by Tommy Sands (performed by Danú)."  Tommy went up to pick up his award and Danú then performed the song on stage.
Danu had won best group previously, in 2001, but were particularly pleased with the best original song award this year as it was  a great boost for their new singer Muireann, who picked the song for the album. Lining up on stage with assorted instruments on May 20 will be Dónal, Tom, Donnchadh, Oisín, Muireann, Éamon & Benny.  Lovers of traditional Irish music have a treat in store.  For more information ring 02380 592223.

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