Bessie Smith is one of the most iconic artists in jazz and blues history. Her raw, visceral howl of a voice chronicled a life of gin-soaked bar room brawls, renegade lovers and bawdy nights of Harlem vaudeville. This evening the critically acclaimed Anglo-American songstress Sarah Gillespie takes to the stage with a fresh interpretation of her heroine, whose lucid jazz poetry, raucous humour and dark cathartic blues blazed a trail for generations of performers.
Sarah Gillespie (guitar and vocals)
Kit Downes (piano)
Ben Bastin (bass)
Enzo Zirilli (drums)
‘Gillespie’s realism, passionate energy, wry wit and insight into the personal and social challenges Smith faced in the 1920s and 30s make her an appropriate torch-bearer for the legendary singer’s legacy’. John Fordham, The Guardian 2014
‘Glory Days.. her best mix yet of hooky tunes and smart lyrics’. MOJO ★★★★
