Jazz Leeds presents Anita Wardell “Sing One, Swing One” @Seven Arts: 24 Jan 2019 8pm

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Anita Wardell (vocals) with Robin Aspland piano, Jeremy Brown on double bass and Steve Brown on drums.
Anita Wardell’s singing is exciting and breathtaking. She is noted for her mesmerizing and captivating vocal improvisations and vocalese lyrics to instrumental solos. Anita is a musician who uses the voice as her instrument, displaying precision and agility, mixed with heartfelt emotion.

Anita is currently over from Adelaide, Australia and has been touring the UK with her band, Robin Aspland, Jeremy Brown and Steve Brown. Anita will be singing material from her forthcoming CD release “Sing One, Swing One” of re-worked standards and some of the great swinging instrumental solos of Dexter Gordon, Cannonball Adderley, Charlie Parker, Jay Jay Johnson and more with lyrics penned by Anita herself.

Bebop pioneer, Mark Murphy, proclaimed Anita, “a gift from Australia”, adding “What hits me, is how expressive her ballad singing is. Then she has the courage to scat a ballad or two, not unlike a young lady disciple of the Ben Webster school.”

Singer Norma Winstone praised her “unexpected vulnerability, which makes her reading of the ballads both beautiful and touching. Her honesty shines in this well-chosen collection of songs.”

Her trio has Robin Aspland (a Leeds boy!) on piano, plus the superb Brown jazz brothers – Jeremy on double bass and Steve on drums.

Support is from the eclectic duo of Pete Rosser (piano, accordion) and Julia Mills (sax) who will play 8-8.30pm

Tickets £16/14 conc. Under 25;s £8