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Thursday 13 October 2011 - Sarah Ellen Hughes Quartet
On this formidable performance, Sarah Ellen Hughes will surely soon be routinely mentioned alongside the names of such greats as Carol Kidd, Claire Martin and Stacey Kent.
It is no surprise that her talents are already being recognised - as winner of the International Jazz Singing Competition, Jazz Voices, in 2010, and semi-finalist for the Montreux Jazz Festival where she performed before Quincy Jones, as well as her appearances at many of the UK's top jazz venues.
Her Quartet comprised Rick Simpson on piano, winner of a Yamaha Scholarship Prize for Outstanding Jazz Musician in 2008; Tom Farmer on bass, who first made his name with Empirical and has played at many of the world's leading jazz festivals, and Darren Altman on drums, who has recorded numerous albums with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra and worked with many leading UK artistes.
The focus of the gig was on her latest album, The Story So Far, for the promotion of which this was a Jazz Services tour. The gig was a mix of familiar standards and compositions, and arrangements by Sarah herself.
Some of the plaudits she has already earned from the critics include: "an astonishingly assured singer…" "a talent to look out for.." and "wonderful…classy…" comments certainly borne out by this performance.
Right from the opening number, as the Quartet burst into My Favourite Things, the range and tone of her voice was confident, distinctive and easy on the ear. Her influences seem to be many and various but in a number of songs there was surely some trace of the great Cleo Laine.
When singing a number, any number, her absorption in her performance is total. She has a wide range of contrasting tones which she uses to great creative effect. Her vocal skills make for compelling listening - and also watching - as she gyrates gracefully and infectiously to the rhythm of each number.
Her voice is soft and mellow, almost instrumental in nature, yet smouldering with emotion when the occasion demands; as in the standard, Love for Sale. Yet her own composition, Working Hard (a throwback to her early struggles to forge a jazz career), reveals a steely determination, delivered, as it was, with a steady, rock-type rhythm.
Her talents are amply supported by a rhythm section which seems perfectly attuned to her flair for a song. Rick Simpson attacks the keyboard with body hunched and fingers patrolling the keyboard hungrily. His solo on One Note Samba was quite outstanding.
Tom Farmer's bass seemed at times to have a voice of its own - it was refreshing to hear such a sensitive use of the bow on occasions, while Darren Altman drives the Quartet insistently.
Unusually for a jazz musician, Sarah had no early jazz influences, at least, not as a child. "My Dad influenced me most musically speaking, but it was in classical music. He was a timpanist, and I used to listen to Radio 3 a lot," she explains. "I began by learning the piano and flute, and didn't really get into jazz until I was about 17.
"Even then, it was only by chance. I was introduced through a friend at school to a jazz orchestra while killing time waiting for a driving lesson! I went on to play ensemble pieces, as well as some piano."
After developing tendonitis (through so much playing!), she turned to singing. "I was very excited by jazz singing because of its total freedom, melodically speaking, as well as the power of the lyrics that the jazz style offers and the ability to interpret lyrics in the way I choose."
She cites her main jazz influences as the American singers, Shirley Horn, Nancy Wilson, and Kurt Elling. I like Shirley Horn because of the slow and measured way she can deliver a song - very daring - and Kurt Elling has faultless delivery of scat music," she explains.
She now concentrates on singing but plays the flute in her big band - the Sarah Ellen Hughes Big Band.
Although belonging very much to the younger generation of jazz musicians, like many others, she notices that many audiences are from older generations. "I can't really say why this should be," she says, "maybe these are the people brought up listening to the jazz greats of the past. I find that the younger generation tend to go to gigs that are put on by those of their own age, in student colleges and associations and so on."
As for the future, she would like to devote more time to her bands - the Big Band and her party band, named SEH Soul. "There are quite a few lady jazz singers around and developing a band gives me something different."
A teacher by profession, she used to divide her time equally between teaching and developing her jazz career. It's no surprise that her jazz commitments now monopolise. "I now teach (in a primary school) one and a half days a week. It's nice to have something to fall back on."
Surely - an unnecessary over-abundance of caution, if ever there was one!
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