Women in Jazz
Brian Soundy, director of UK Jazz Radio recently announced that Verona is to present a weekly programme called “Women In Jazz” – visit UK Jazz Radio.
Jazz on the Roof
We will be holding our Summer fundraising event on 24 August at the Lyric Hammersmith. All funds raised on the night will go towards our Hospital Arts activities to help patients, their families and staff.
The beautiful re-furbished roof terrace at the Lyric is the perfect venue to sit back and relax with a drink whilst listening to our Jazz performers. Tickets are just £35 each, which includes all food and drink for the evening.
Our main act is The Verona Chard Band. Accompanying lead singer Verona will be John Horler (piano), Alec Dankworth (bass) and Winston Clifford (drums). Verona, whose Jazz album ‘Fever’ was released in July 2010, has recorded tracks for Humphrey Lyttelton and performed at the Ealing Jazz Festival, The National Theatre, the Sedbergh Literary Festival and the Edinburgh Festival, to name a few.
Supporting The Verona Chard Band will be Charlotte Glasson (saxophone) and Jason Henson (guitar). Both Charlotte and Jason are acomplished musicians. Last year saw The Charlotte Glasson Band win the Best Newcomer Award at The Marlborough Jazz Festival, and also feature in Jazz Live, a lottery-funded film about the London jazz scene. Jason Henson has worked with some of the country’s finest musicians, including US legend Joe Lee Wilson, and gypsy swing outfit The Jonny Hepbir Trio.
Please bring friends, family, colleagues and whomever you think will enjoy the event. Everyone is welcome to attend.
To purchase tickets, please call 020 8846 6600 / email arts@chelwestcharity.org.uk or visit www.hospitalarts.org.uk
We look forward to seeing you at the Lyric!
Sandy Brown Jazz reviews Fever
We first mentioned Verona Chard a few months ago when we discovered her captivating interpretation of the Peggy Lee number Fever. There must have been some consensus as Verona is about to release her first album with Fever as the title track. Verona grew up in the West Country and then went to the Royal Academy of Music in London. She made her debut five years ago with Humphrey Lyttelton.
The new album was inspired by John Dankworth’s 1964 release Shakespeare and All That Jazz. Verona came across a copy of the record in a charity shop ‘It sparked a chain reaction,’ she says. ‘I embarked on a journey of discovery finding a wealth of material with a connection to ‘the Bard‘. The comprehensive liner notes relate each of the songs to extracts from Shakespeare’s work – Fever is reflected in the sonnet that begins: ‘My love is as a fever, longing still…’ and Willow Weep For Me by Desdemona’s song from Othello: ‘The poor soul sat sighing by a sycamore tree, Sing all a green willow…’
There are some favourite numbers on the album including Cole Porter’s Why Can’t You Behave, a beautiful performance of Stephen Sondheim’s scoring of Fear No More (The Heat Of The Sun), Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim’s Cool from West Side Story, Rodgers and Hart’s This Can’t Be Love and an truly exquisite version of My Funny Valentine. You will also find an imaginative arrangement of Tchaikovsky’s music to ‘What light through yonder window breaks…’ from Romeo and Juliet, John Dankworth’s Dunsinane Blues, Elton John’s The King Must Die and Humphrey Lyttelton’s Jail Break. At a quick glance the front cover seems strange until you read that the background is of the graffiti on the archway to Romeo and Juliet’s wall in Verona, Italy …
Verona has the support of some great musicians on the album including Alan Barnes (clarinet and saxophones), Fiona Clifton-Welker (harp), Charlotte Glasson (saxophone), Ray Wordsworth (trombone), Kevin Robinson (trumpet), Alex Stamford (piano/hammond organ), Dave Green, Andy Hamill (bass/electric bass), and Mark Fletcher (drums).
The album will be launched at the 606 Club in London at 7.30 p.m. on Wednesday, 21st July to be followed by a tour around England and Scotland. You can sample music from the album and check out the tour dates by clicking here. The album is currently available as downloads from Amazon or from Play.com. The CD of the album is also available direct from Verona through her website www.veronachard.com priced £11.99 including P&P. We think this is an inspiringly researched, arranged and performed album – taste it and see.
Review by Ian Maund – www.sandybrownjazz.com
Jazz in the Big Top
Thursday 16 September Jazz in The Big Top – Stratford – upon – Avon with music and circus workshops and live music including The Verona Chard Band from 7pm – further details can be found at www.ukjazzradio.com
Choose Your Favourite Track Competition
To celebrate the launch of Verona Chard’s new album “Fever“, we’re giving fans the opportunity to win a cash prize.
Subscribe to Verona’s mailing list for automatic entry into the competition for the opportunity to win £250.00 CASH!
Jazz, Blues and Live at Café Chai
The re-launch Oct 1 2009 went with a bang with the award winning Charlotte Glasson Band at Ealing’s award winning venue.
Please see listings for further details…
Interview in Ealing Gazette
Verona spoke with the Ealing Gazette about her music and everything in between.
To read the interview, click here…
