Sweet and soulful tunes filled with the warm buzz of jazz notes and an impressive voice could be the soundtrack to your summer, London's new jazz diva Zara McFarlane performs songs from her debut album. Plus: Duke Special, Admiral Fallow and Suzy Bogguss.
ZARA MCFARLANE
Norwich Playhouse, May 25
Sweet and soulful tunes filled with the warm buzz of jazz notes and an impressive voice could be the soundtrack to your summer, London's new jazz diva Zara McFarlane will be performing songs from her debut album, Until Tomorrow.
Zara, who counts Billie Holiday and Nina Simone among her idols, has seen her collection of modern jazz and nu-soul is accompanied by a deep, warm and powerful voice released on Gilles Peterson's Brownswood Recordings.
The 28-year-old has already collaborated with jazz artists such as Denys Baptiste, Orphy Robinson, Soweto Kinch and Jazz Jamaica All Stars.
Zara appeared on Jazz Jamaica's 2006 Motown-themed album Motor City Roots before issuing her self-produced EP, Until Tomorrow, in 2010.
The reference to the home of the legendary soul label from Detroit — dubbed Motor City for having housed a massive Ford plant – bears parallels with Zara's home town, Dagenham.
Her breakthrough came when a friend passed her EP to the then Radio 1 DJ, who then played one of her tracks on national radio and offered to release an album. 'That was amazing. It's still unbelievable to me – I kept thinking that he may change his mind.'
t Further listening: www.myspace.com/zaramcfarlane
DUKE SPECIAL
Open, May 27
Hailing from Belfast with a sound that is self-confessed 'hobo-chic', Duke Special — aka the endlessly inventive Peter Wilson — is once heard, never forgotten.
The dreadlocked, eyeliner-affecting troubadour delivers his impassioned, honky-tonk songs on a wide range of instruments, including gramophone, fiddle and harmonium.
Best known for his platinum album Songs From The Deep Forest, his immense creative talents have seen him involved in projects as diverse as writing the theme tune for Sesame Tree (the Northern Ireland edition of Sesame Street) to writing the music for a critically acclaimed production of Bertolt Brecht's Mother Courage.
He arrives in support of his soon-to-be-released new album Oh Pioneer — his first 'commercial' album since I Never Thought This Day Would Come in 2008.
A fervent performer his style harks back to a pre-rock'n'roll era, with dashes of Gershwin and orchestral swing, all tinged with a Northern Irish lilt and poetic lyrics — three-minute pop songs with the incessant charm of an old-school music hall.
'Standing on the edge of recording a new album is a daunting task,' he says. 'Behind you are the sessions and songs you have recorded previously… ahead are other peoples' expectations. I love the adventure.'
t Further listening: www.dukespecial.com
ADMIRAL FALLOW
Norwich Arts Centre, May 27
Genre-spanning Scottish band Admiral Fallow are fast winning a following for their finely-crafted material, including the thumbs-up from celeb admirers Fyfe Dangerfield, Guy Garvey, Huw Stephens and Bob Harris.
They scored a big success at last year's edition of the influential music showcase South By Southwest, with the band featuring beautiful melodies, sumptuous orchestration and bittersweet boy/girl vocals, built round the lyrics of singer/guitarist Louis Abbott.
Completed by fellow vocalist Sarah Hayes (also flute, piano), Kevin Brolly (clarinet, keyboards, backing vocals), Joe Rattray (bass, double bass, backing vocals) and Philip Hague (drums, vibraphone, backing vocals), they formed in 2007. They have enjoyed a string high profile support slots with the Futureheads, Paolo Nutini, King Creosote, the Felice Brothers and Frightened Rabbit, as well as headline gigs that have seen record label A&R men out in force.
The Glasgow six-piece's first album, Boots Met My Face, released last year, featured their folk-goes-indie-with-a-Scottish-accent sound.
The band continue to attract admiring comparisons to Arcade Fire and Frightened Rabbit, while forging a sound that brims with originality, now is the time to catch them — before they're huge.
t Further listening: www.admiralfallow.com
SUZY BOGGUSS
Norwich Arts Centre, May 28
Platinum selling contemporary country songstress Suzy Bogguss began on the American coffeehouse circuit before being by an A&R scout while performing at Dollywood — Dolly Parton's theme park — in the 1980s.
The Illinois singer-songwriter went on to enjoy considerable success in the early 1990s as a country singer. But while that commercial peak lasted just a couple of years, she's recently experienced an unexpected resurgence as an easy-on-the-ears but somewhat eclectic jazz-pop singer.
And while her bookshelf was already full of Grammy and CMA awards she can put her own book up there too after the release of American Folk Songbook last year. The CD and companion Songbook was created after she toured with American author and musician Garrison Keillor.
The hardcover, 96-page book is filled with illustrations, fascinating historical stories about classic American songs, easy to read sheet music arrangements for piano, voice and guitar as well as personal insights and anecdotes from Bogguss.
She arrives in Norwich as part of a UK tour. 'We're playing a broad mix of material on the tour but I know we'll have fun with American Folk Songbook,' she says. 'The Brits are great with sing-a-longs!'
t Further listening: www.suzybogguss.com
SOUNDS IN THE CITY
MAY 25
NNF: Zun Zun Egui (indie/rock) — Arts Centre
NNF: Zara McFarlane (jazz) — Playhouse
NNF: Sam Amidon (folk) — Spiegeltent Chapelfield
NNF: The Magic Number (swing/gypsy) — Spiegeltent Chapelfield
The Proposition (roots/blues) — Brewery Tap
Big Black Cadillac (rockabilly) — Walnut Tree Shades
Claire Baker Band (funk/soul) — Brickmakers
The Mob (rock/pop) — Hellesdon Bull
Odessa (metal/hardcore) — Waterfront
Stoker + Shock!Hazard (indie/rock) — King Edward VII
The Music House: feat. Jon Hart Band _+ more (acoustic) — Wensum Lodge
Norwich Folk Club: feat. Zimmer Follies — Christ Church Centre
The Mob (rock/pop) — The Bull Hellesdon
Drop The Clutch (rock) — The Otter
Soothsayer Promo (metal) — B2
Knightmoves — Lakenham Cock
Danny Reno — Perseverance
Rach — Fiveways
MAY 26
NNF: Jerry Dammers' Spatial AKA Orchestra (jazz/ska) — Theatre Royal
NNF: Gangpol und Mit (pop/art) — Arts Centre
NNF: The Handsome Family (Americana) — Spiegeltent Chapelfield
Ziplock + more (punk) — King Edward VII
Astapi + One Win Choice (punk) — Olives
Starsexplode + more (rock) — B2
To The Last (rock) — Boundary
Bon Giovi + Blind Tiger (rock/tribute) — Brickmakers
Billy Lockett + Lee Vann (acoustic) — Carnival
Unlawfully Yours (pop/rock) — Woolpack
Worlds Apart (blues/rock) — Walnut Tree Shades
Honeydripper (blues/rock) — Eaton Cottage
The Foolish (rock/pop) — Lakenham Cock
Against The Grain (blues/rock) — The Leopard
Firewire (pop/ska) — Spixworth Social Club
Barry Lee — Heath House
Steve Moyse — Angel Gardens
Shannon — Trowel & Hammer
MAY 27
Duke Special (indie/rock) — Open
Admiral Fallow (indie/rock) — Arts Centre
Brit Floyd (rock/tribute) — Theatre Royal
The Planks (soul/3pm) — Brewery Tap
Big Black Cadillac (rock'n'roll/3pm) — King Edward VII
The Indebtors (folk/pop/5pm) — Silver Road Cottage
Floating Greyhounds (rock/4pm) — Boundary
Lee Vasey Big Band (12pm) — Brickmakers
MAY 28
Suzy Bogguss (folk) — Arts Centre
Brickie Session (open mic) — Brickmakers
Jazz Jam: feat. Rich Buddie — Walnut Tree Shades
Jazz Jam — B2
MAY 29
Nigel King Band (60s) — Brickmakers
Val Wiseman & The Simon Brown Trio (jazz) — Rackheath Green Man
MAY 30
Gemma Hayes (folk/electronic) — Arts Centre
Dying Breeds + more (punk/rockabilly) — B2
Lee Vasey & Friends — Trowel & Hammer
Pure Acoustic (open mic) — Brickmakers
MAY 31
Energy (funk/soul/pop) — Brickmakers
Honeydripper (blues/rock) — Walnut Tree Shades
Albert Cooper's Blues & Boogie Band — Rumsey Wells
The Indebtors (folk/pop/rock) — Rose Tavern
Bloodstock Metal 2: feat. Then Comes Chaos + more (competition/heat 3) — Waterfront Studio
Open Jam — King Edward VII
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