|
Live Reviews UK JAZZ
VOCALISTS BLOG (link) Dressed dramatically in black with a feather head-piece, Juliet Kelly commanded the stage with a charismatic presence. The California Suite was briefly transformed into a dimly lit, cabaret style club with an intimate atmosphere. The perfect ambience to celebrate the Divas of Jazz. The carefully selected set drew the audience in as Juliet sang some well-known standards such as Screamin Jay Hawkins I put a spell on you, a song closely associated with Nina Simone, Summer Samba by Marcos Valle and Caravan by Juan Tizol. Juliet’s voice has a full bodied mellifluous timbre at the bottom end of her range and a light, clear tone at the top. Her set included the standard You’re Mine You, the title of an album by Sarah Vaughan in 1962. It was written by Songwriter and Composer Johnny Green who also wrote Body and Soul. This elegant piece allowed the rich beauteous glow of her voice to shine as the spacious arrangement by her pianist George Moore gently cushioned her velvety voice. The progressive sounding Afro Blue provided a stark contrast as Juliet soared into her soprano range creating an intensity that captivated the audience. Amidst the standard repertoire were flashes of a talented composer capable of referential originality. Nica’s Dream by Horace Silver told the tale of Baroness Nica who was a patron of Charlie Parker and Thelonius Monk in the 1950’s. Originally an instrumental tune, Juliet wrote her own lyrics capturing the story and breathing new life into the standard. Similarly, in Norma Winstone’s Ladies in Mercedes she took an amusing side swipe at celebrity culture. The showpiece of the evening by far was a self-penned tune called Surrender. This intelligently crafted melody was reminiscent of Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington and it captured the sumptuous tone of her voice. The audience were enthralled as her soulful timbre resonated around the room. Songwriters
in jazz are always under pressure to perform the standard repertoire.
Too much original material inevitably risks audience alienation and there
is always a compromise to be made. Juliet delivered a richly diverse set
catering for all tastes but her magic lies in her ability to tell a story
through song and it is her own material that marks her out as a creative,
playful lyricist and composer; a Diva with a striking sense of flamboyance
and a penchant for subversion. OXFORD
TIMES Juliet Kelly,
who has now made three albums, is a prolific song writer as well as one
of the most respected younger singers on the jazz scene. Her compositions
have a colourful mix of humour and sensuality that gives them an immediacy
and attraction that is not easy to master in an area of jazz that can
easily swing between the banal and the opaque. But the true depth of her
talent as a singer is more easily judged from her treatment of jazz standards.
PAUL MEDLEY JAZZWISE "Melancholy can be uplifting" mused Juliet Kelly between songs, as she expressed surprise that some people consider her songs to be dark. Certainly some of her songs have a touch of melancholy, but Juliet's skilful and intelligent lyrics led us through a spectrum of emotions from outright joy to the bittersweet regret of unrequited love. From 'Parallel Universe' with it's infectious beguine rhythms to the soulful delicacy of 'Unicorn Dream' with Carl Orr's atmospheric guitar accompaniment, each of Juliet's songs has its own distinctive character. And these truly are jazz songs that draw on a variety of jazz harmonies, rhythms and song forms. If Juliet
could not sing a note, her songwriting alone should assure her of a successful
career. But sing she certainly can and this launch gig for her new CD,
Delicious Chemistry, confirmed her as a warm, passionate and witty
performer who engages with her audience as she debates life's conundrums
and ironies through her songs. She also engages with her musicians so
that we heard a wonderful dialogue between Tom Barlow's bass and Dave
Ohm's drums, Kate Williams exploring minor blues territory on Aphrodite's
Child, and the exciting build up of Omar Puente's soaring violin lines
on 'Guardian Angel.' CHARLES ALEXANDER OXFORD
TIMES SINGER Juliet Kelly has definitely got something. Ever since her gig at "the spin @ the wheatsheaf", I've been trying to work out what it is. Thinking of other vocalists who have appeared there this season, Kelly doesn't do improvisational pyrotechnics in the manner of Clare Foster. Scat singing was very thinly spread, but the little she did was moving. She doesn't display the raw power and passion of Reem Kelani, the Palestinian singer who took the place by storm a few weeks ago. Kelly is British, after all, and restraint is part of her technique - she hardly ever went above mezzo-forte. It was all deceptively simple. She just sang standards and a few of her own songs, sang them straight, and kept the audience captivated for a couple of hours. The arrangements were fresh and sometimes funky, and the original songs drew from wider influences, but it wasn't composition and arrangement that had the punters purring. I think she has two secrets. First, she's a natural communicator. She established a relaxed rapport witht her audience. When she sang, she not only articulated every word, but sang as though she meant it. Her other not-so-secret weapon is alto saxophonist Tony Kofi. She sings a song sweetly and simply, then Kofi kicks in with the purest bebop - close your eyes and it's Charlie Parker. It's a good cop/bad cop act, and it works like a dream. ROGER VAN SCHAICK "A very, appealing, warm, singing personality - beautifully accomplished, sweet, sexy and seductive. Her higher notes are somehow very intimate and very personal. She seems to handle all areas effortlessly - ballads, medium swingers and up-tempo flyers... excellent time and poise. It was an absolute pleasure to listen to her and the rhythm section." IAN CARR (1999) |