Her big dark eyes, squeaky cute voice and flair for scat inspired a generation. Helen Kane was the real life Betty Boop and is thought to have even inspired the cartoonist to create Betty, She rose to fame in the 1920s and became a poster girl for flappers everywhere. I first discovered her when listening …
Creative Direction
Jazz Artist: Kiss Me Yesterday
This pretty little group from Vienna has been jazzing up my heavily filled world of rock. The smooth vocals and re-worked tracks are crisp and laced with pure sugar. My favourite is this remix of That Swing that I feel even people who don’t like electro-swing would love. C’est la vie.
Jazz Artist: Rebecca Ferguson
This lady from Liverpool just emulates class and oozes with sweet sophisticated charm. When Rebecca Ferguson first stepped on to X Factor, she was incredibly shy and vulnerable. Now she’s blossomed into a comtempary jazz artist despite not winning the X Factor crown. Her voice is like velvet to listen to which makes any song …
Jazz Artist: Smokey Joe & The Kid
Two French brothers grabbed my attention recently by mixing the sounds of the 20s with contemorary hip-hop. Smoke Joe & The Kid have seen rising popularity with their first LP – Nasty Tricks and have continued to produce eclectic mash-ups of urban and vintage fusion. These Bordeux gangsters sure know how to swing. What strikes …
Speakeasy: Dry Martini
Barcelona From the outside, Dry Martini looks closed. I was stood on the corner of a thirsty street in the centre of Barcelona peering in through a thick window. It was so thick, that I couldn’t possibly see inside. I dared to go through and found myself in a plush lounge complete with a pristine …
I highly reccomend these four London jazz bars
Nothing makes me feel more like a city girl than sitting in a bar with a vino, watching a Jazz band. There’s nothing more enchanting than gazing into your lover’s eyes whilst the sweet sounds of the sax dance through the air. When I moved here, I was a lost lamb. With no maps to …
Speakeasy: Cecil’s
London I was lost, walking down a darkened alley with not a creature stirring. I felt a pang of fear hit me like a silver blade. What if it’s a trap? Out of the misty fog, two men cloaked in black allure stood staring at me. They beckoned me towards them. I tottered forward, in …
Love Supreme Jazz Festival 2013
As I was sipping my drink in the sunshine, a man walked towards me and asked if I wanted to go on stage with Nile Rodgers. Of Course I said YES! I was dragged up on stage and danced in front of thousands of people. It was mind-blowing. People came far and wide for Love …
Jazz Artist: Cali
What a voice! Cali has a heck of a vocal range that’s so powerful it could probably part oceans. Her sound is so refined and feels as though it has a touch of the Amy Winehouse style. As well as being influenced by artists, Cali takes inspiration from Quentin Tarantino and old Hitchcock films which …
Introducing jazz artist Lucinda Belle
The Lucinda Belle Orchestra’s “My Voice & 45 Strings” is a sweet assortment of harp laced tracks. Her velvety soft voice compliments the elaborate instrumental which was produced from her £1.25m contract with Universal. Following Lucinda’s discovery in a laundrette, she told Jazz FM that she was influenced to play the harp by her …