Latest news with #JohnDankworth
The Guardian
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Cleo Laine's support for the arts and artists
Cleo Laine (Obituary, 25 July) was not only a great performer and proselytiser for jazz, but supported the arts and artists in less public ways. When I launched The Arts Channel in 1983, she and John Dankworth became shareholders and consultants. In this role they persuaded many of the world's leading jazz artists to appear on the channel. They were also two of the judges for our young jazz players' GriffithsMonmouth In Cardiff, we had ripe blackberries in June (Letters, 25 July). I have already made blackberry vinegar and blackberry and lemon magic pudding (which is delicious with cream). There are hundreds of green blackberries still waiting to PerryDinas Powys, Vale of Glamorgan Not being a fan of spoof movies in general, I have watched only one in my life, Galaxy Quest. There was no way for me to avoid it, because it features the admirable and unforgettable Alan Rickman. I loved it, and was disappointed that it wasn't in your list (Turn the parody up to 11: the best spoof movies – ranked!, 24 July).Gerda FörsterAachen, Germany I'm disappointed that the award for the funniest joke of the Edinburgh fringe has been cancelled (Report, 22 July). That's taken all the pun out of BarnardWivenhoe, Essex Are those people who are concerned about the US vice-president, JD Vance, holidaying in the Cotswolds (Report, 26 July) experiencing a hillbilly allergy?Richard WolfeAuckland, New Zealand Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Dame Cleo Laine, the ‘First Lady of Jazz', dies aged 97
Veteran jazz singer Dame Cleo Laine, famed for her scat singing style, has died at the age of 97. Nicknamed the First Lady of Jazz, she was a Grammy award-winning, leading figure of the British jazz music scene along with her late husband, saxophonist Sir John Dankworth, for many years and worked with the likes of Ray Charles and Frank Sinatra. A statement from her children, Jacqui and Alec Dankworth, said: 'It is with deepest sadness that we announce the passing of our dearly beloved mother, Cleo, who died peacefully yesterday afternoon. 'We will all miss her terribly. The family wish to be given space to grieve and ask for privacy at this very difficult time.' The Stables, a charity and venue founded by Dame Cleo and Sir John, said in a statement it was 'greatly saddened' by the news that 'one of its founders and Life President, Dame Cleo Laine has passed away'. David Meadowcroft, chairman of the charity, said: 'Dame Cleo was a remarkable performer who was loved by audiences around the world, and her commitment to ensuring young people had access to great music and music education will continue through the work of The Stables.' Monica Ferguson, chief executive and artistic director of The Stables, said: 'Dame Cleo was admired greatly by fans, other musicians and by The Stables staff and volunteers. She will be greatly missed, but her unique talent will always be remembered.' Sir John, who had been a mainstay of the British jazz scene for more than 50 years, died aged 82 in 2010. She was the daughter of a Jamaican father and English mother whose childhood in Southall, west London, was supported by her father's busking talents. Her early singing experience started at home, with group family singalongs alongside her music-loving father. But before her musical career really took off, Dame Cleo was confined to the life of a hairdresser's assistant. She never gave up, entering talent contests and she sang on a semi-professional basis before finally auditioning for the Johnny Dankworth Seven. After that, she never looked back. She and Sir John, who married in 1958, worked with some of the top names in the music business – and she scored a UK top 10 hit in 1961 with You'll Answer To Me. She previously told the PA news agency: 'At the age of three I was singing, because our family sang, and we entertained each other. So right from a very early age there was this kind of Cinderella dream that I was going to do all this. 'When I wrote my autobiography I realised it was quite a Cinderella story in some ways. 'To me the wonderful thing is actually having done it, not the accolade, but to be singing, and to be singing at the age I am now. That is the best part of it.' Laine received a Grammy award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance in 1985. In 2002 the British Jazz Awards honoured her with their Life Achievement Award. Although best known as a jazz singer, Laine was also an accomplished actress, playing at London's Royal Court Theatre in 1958 and starring in Show Boat at the Adelphi. She became a dame in the 1997 Birthday Honours, saying at the time: 'I am of course, deeply honoured, but I think they have got the reason for it slightly wrong. 'It is British jazz that should have received the accolade for its service to me – it has given me a wonderful life, a successful career and an opportunity to travel the globe doing what I love to do, listening to and working with some of the world's most creative musicians. 'I'm a very lucky lady and I'm extremely grateful.'
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Cleo Laine, Britain's most successful jazz singer, dies aged 97
Dame Cleo Laine, the UK's most successful and celebrated jazz singer, has died aged 97. A statement from her children Jacqui and Alec reads: 'It is with deepest sadness that we announce the passing of our dearly beloved mother, Cleo, who died peacefully yesterday afternoon. We will all miss her terribly. The family wish to be given space to grieve and ask for privacy at this very difficult time.' She was well known for a longstanding collaboration with her late husband, the composer and reed player John Dankworth, singing with his jazz bands from the mid-1950s onwards. But she also had a stellar solo career, including in the US, where she became the only female artist to be nominated for Grammy awards in pop, jazz and classical categories; few singers have the versatility to deliver atonal Arnold Schoenberg pieces and to have duetted with Ray Charles. Laine was born in Uxbridge, west London, in 1927, the daughter of a Jamaican father and an English farmer's daughter (her original name was Clementina Campbell, though she was registered at birth as Clementine Bullock, her mother's surname). She was raised in nearby Southall and had an unassuming youth, working at various jobs after leaving school including as a hairdresser, librarian and pawnbroker. Still a teenager, she married George Langridge and had a son, Stuart. She sang in clubs after work, but became a professional singer in her mid-20s after successfully auditioning for Dankworth's band the Dankworth Seven. 'In a sense, with them, I started at the top,' she later said. She earned £7 a week, and changed her name to the snappier Cleo Laine. Her marriage faltered – Langridge 'thought my career was a pipe-dream', she said – and Laine left him for Dankworth, marrying him in 1958. She developed her voice, eventually reaching a four-octave range and becoming one of the most esteemed proponents of the scat singing style. She acted in plays and musical theatre in London, as well as performing with Dankworth and his band; in 1961, she crossed over into the British pop charts with You'll Answer to Me reaching No 5. She and Dankworth achieved further recognition with their jazz arrangements of poetry by Shakespeare, ee cummings, WH Auden and TS Eliot. Emboldened by a successful Australian tour, they began live performances in New York. US reviewers received her rapturously, and Laine cemented her American career with concerts backed by her husband at prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, alongside musical theatre on Broadway. She recorded an acclaimed album of Stephen Sondheim numbers, duetted with Ray Charles for a recording of Gershwin's opera Porgy and Bess, and made collaborative albums with the guitarist John Williams and the flautist James Galway. In 1992, she supported Frank Sinatra for a five-night residency at London's Royal Albert Hall. In 1970, she and Dankworth founded the Stables venue in the grounds of their home in Wavendon, Buckinghamshire, which has gone on to present concerts by Dave Brubeck, Amy Winehouse and many others, and hosts music education projects. In 1979 she was awarded an OBE and in 1997 she was made a dame. Dankworth was knighted in 2006. The couple continued to tour together until shortly before Dankworth's death on 6 February 2010, aged 82. Laine performed later that night, alongside their musician children Jacqui and Alec, for a scheduled concert celebrating 40 years of the Stables; she only announced her husband's death at the end of the concert. 'It wasn't so much 'the show must go on' – I'm not that committed to the stage,' she said in 2010. 'I instinctively knew Johnny would want it to. That if I had died he would have gone on. Johnny and me – we were joined at the hip.' She is survived by Jacqui and Alec. Her son Stuart died in 2019, aged 72.
Sky News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sky News
Grammy-winning jazz singer Dame Cleo Laine dies
Grammy-winning jazz singer Dame Cleo Laine has died aged 97. Dame Cleo was a leading figure of the British jazz scene for many years and worked with the likes of Ray Charles and Frank Sinatra. Her famed scat singing style, her remarkable range from tenor to contralto and her smoky voice made her Britain's most successful jazz singer, earning her the nickname the First Lady of Jazz. "It is with deepest sadness that we announce the passing of our dearly beloved mother, Cleo, who died peacefully yesterday afternoon," her children Jacqui and Alec Dankworth said. "We will all miss her terribly. The family wish to be given space to grieve and ask for privacy at this very difficult time." Dame Cleo's husband, saxophonist Sir John Dankworth, died aged 82 in 2010 after being a mainstay of the British jazz scene for more than 50 years. The couple founded a charity and venue called The Stables in 1970 to "ensure young people have access to great music and music education", David Meadowcroft, chairman of the charity, said, adding that The Stables would continue the couple's commitment. He added that Dame Cleo "was a remarkable performer who was loved by audiences around the world". Monica Ferguson, artistic director of The Stables, said the singer "will be greatly missed, but her unique talent will always be remembered". Born Clementina Dinah Campbell, the singer grew up with her Jamaican father and English mother in Southall, west London, where she was supported by her father's busking talents. She became a professional jazz singer in her mid-20s when she successfully auditioned for the Johnny Dankworth Seven in 1951 and changed her name to Cleo Laine. Seven years later, Dame Cleo married Sir John. Their son Alec was born in 1960, a year before his mother scored a top 10 hit with You'll Answer To Me, before daughter Jacqueline followed in 1963. In 1973, Dame Cleo and Sir John drew a sold-out crowd at New York's Carnegie Hall and launched a series of popular concerts. She received a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance for Cleo At Carnegie in 1986. In the 1997 Birthday Honours, the singer became the first British jazz artist to be made a dame. Her career was later also honoured with a Life Achievement Award at the British Jazz Awards in 2002.
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
Cleo Laine, UK jazz singer who performed with Ray Charles and Frank Sinatra, dies at 97
By William Schomberg, Reuters Cleo Laine performs with jazz musician John Dankworth (1927-2010) at the Brecon Jazz Festival in Brecon, Wales in August 1995. Photo: Getty Images British jazz singer Cleo Laine, who performed with musical greats including Frank Sinatra and starred as an actor in London's West End and on Broadway, has died aged 97, the Guardian newspaper reported on Friday (UK time), citing a statement from her children Jacqui and Alec. Born to an English mother and a Jamaican father in a suburb of London in 1927, she initially worked as a hairdresser, a hat-trimmer and a librarian. She married in 1946 and had a son while still a teenager. Driven on by her dream of becoming a singer, she divorced and got her big break in 1951, when she joined the band of English saxophonist and clarinettist John Dankworth at 24. Dankworth's band decided her name was too long - at the time she thought she had been born Clementine Campbell, though a passport application later revealed her mother had used her own surname Hitching on the birth certificate. Cleo Laine performs in the studio, with the producer Norman Granz who produced the recording of the George Gershwin folk opera, Porgy and Bess, in Los Angeles, California, on September 25, 1976. Photo: Getty Images / Afro Newspaper/Gado The men of the Dankworth Seven band thought her name was too cumbersome for a poster, and that her nickname Clem was too cowboy-like. They settled on a new stage persona for her by drawing "Cleo" and "Laine" from hats. In 1958, she and Dankworth married. Their home became a magnet for London's jazz set: friends included stars from across the Atlantic such as Oscar Peterson and Ella Fitzgerald, Lester Young and Dizzy Gillespie. After acting as well as singing in Britain through the 1960s, Laine toured Australia in 1972 and performed at New York's Lincoln Centre. The recording of a further show, at Carnegie Hall, won her a Grammy. Recordings included Porgy and Bess with Ray Charles. In 1992 she appeared with Frank Sinatra for a series of shows at the Royal Albert Hall in London, but she was best known for her work with Dankworth's bands. He later became her musical director. Cleo Laine performing at the Cafe Royal in London. Photo: AFP / Collection Christophel / Longhur The couple built their own auditorium in the grounds of their home near London and were friends with the late Princess Margaret, the sister of the late Queen Elizabeth II. Their two children went on to become musicians. Dankworth - who Laine described as being "joined at the hip" with her - died in 2010. Hours after his death, Laine performed a scheduled show in their auditorium, announcing the news about her husband only at the end of the concert. -Reuters
