Gwyneth Herbert - Sarah Gillespie - 50th Anniversary

INTRO WRITTEN BY STEVE RUBIE: Although we have a reputation as a “Jazz Club”. In fact we are really a Live Music venue, promoting a wide variety of different styles and genres and tonight we are featuring two brilliant artists who, although using experienced jazz musicians in their respective bands, have very successfully ploughed their own furrows in the world of UK music. Sarah Gillespie, another Anglo-American (see Dan Reinstein), actually first came to my attention when she came to work in our office in the mid 2000’s. She explained that she was actually a singer/songwriter but needed a job to keep her going while she established herself. As soon as I heard her perform (I gave her a gig here) it was pretty obvious that she wouldn’t be working for us for very long, and so it proved. Her unique vocal style and incisive, witty and politically weighted lyrics made her stand out from the crowd and it wasn’t long before her talent led to a series of record deals and an international career. And opposite Sarah will be another brilliant singer/songwriter whose incandescent star has blazed over the Club for pretty much the same amount of time. Gwyn did her first gig at the Club in the early 2000’s when she was still being feted as an upcoming jazz singer. I distinctly remember her first gig with her erstwhile musical partner Will and from the moment I was pretty certain that we would be hearing a lot more of this very special talent. For me it was her spellbinding originals that were the star of the show and I wasn’t that surprised when she walked away from a record deal that was designed to make her a “jazz singer” to focus on her world class writing and performing, developing into one of the finest songwriters the UK has ever produced. A genuine creative force these days she writes not only for her own bands and numerous albums but has also established herself in the world of musical theatre with her unique, thoughtful lyrics and music. Gwyn brings with her a very special aura and we always just love having her perform here whenever she can! Since she moved away from the London area we’ve seen a lot less of her and it’s a reflection of the affection with which she’s held here that when I told the team she was doing this gig as part of the Festival, someone actually shouted out “yeah”!

Critically acclaimed, Anglo-American songstress Sarah Gillespie is renowned for mixing jazz, blues and folk with her trademark streetwise poetic lyrics. Her 5 albums received outstanding reviews from the UK press and she has toured extensively for the last 15 years, performing in leading venues and festivals in Europe, the UK and USA including Blue Note (Milan) Ronnie Scott's (London) CBGB’s (NYC) and sold out shows at the Southbank Centre’s Purcell Room. She's played live on BBC Radio 4’s Woman's Hour (twice), Loose Ends and Start the Week. A unique and thoroughly engaging talent. "Gillespie…her songs are beautiful, poetic artefacts" Telegraph

A strikingly original performer and composer, Gwyneth Herbert has been hailed as one the most imaginative and idiosyncratic artists of her generation. And not content with being one of the finest singer/songwriters in the country (really) she has been the co-creator of a significant number of highly regarded contemporary musicals as well as producing material for major commissions from the likes of London Sinfonietta and Snape Maltings as well as conducting her own film score at the BFI! Tonight, after taking some time out from performance while she focused on her writing, she makes a welcome return to the Club accompanied by Al Cherry-guitar and Sam Burgess-bass to singing and playing and, as she says "including everything but the kitchen sink....and possibly the kitchen sink!". Quite brilliant. “Herbert…a remarkably gifted talent” Guardian