Verona Chard
She gives you /Fever!/
"That's one of the best versions of /Fever/ I've ever heard, wonderful
voice and great instrumentalists" Brian Soundy - UK Jazz Radio
Album launch date: Wednesday 21 July 2010 at the 606 Jazz Club, Chelsea ‘The excellent Verona Chard’ – Jim Kennedy, The Stage, January 2010
Verona Chard performs a wonderful mix of passionate sultry jazz and inspired vocal acrobatics with her own take on jazz, blues and funk and original material.
She is the exciting combination of highly trained vocalist, actor and lyricist.
FEVER features arrangements of music by John Dankworth, Elton John, Galt MacDermot, Rodgers and Hart, Cole Porter, Stephen Sondheim, Humphrey Lyttleton and Ann Ronell.
Verona says: ‘I decided to research music for this project after finding an LP by Sir John Dankworth in a charity shop. His 1964 album Shakespeare and All That Jazz was inspired by the writings of William Shakespeare and features superb vocals by Dame Cleo Laine. It set me thinking that there must be a wealth of material to explore and I’m not disappointed. My research continues and it has also spurred me on to write my own songs and lyrics.’
Musicians on the album are the award-winning Alan Barnes on sax and clarinet, bassist Dave Green, drummer Mark Fletcher plus Kevin Robinson (trumpet), Charlotte Glasson (sax), Andy Hamill (bass), Ray Wordsworth (trombone) along with harpist Fiona Clifton-Welker and pianist Alex Stanford, with whom she has co-arranged much of the material.
Verona first took to the stage at 5 years of age, and excelled in all things creative, winning a number of music festivals in her home town of Bath. She trained at the Royal Academy of Music and Trinity Laban and, with a highly successful career as a singer and actor, made her professional jazz debut alongside Humphrey Lyttelton on his Sad Sweet Songs & Crazy Rhythms album in 2005.
CD available from Amazon, play.com plus major outlets and direct from www.veronachard.com
Musicians at the FEVER launch will be Verona Chard (vocals), Alex Stanford (piano), Alec Dankworth (bass), Mark Fletcher (drums), Kevin Robinson (trumpet), Charlotte Glasson (sax), Ray Wordsworth (trombone) and Fiona Clifton-Welker (harp).
FEVER album tour – dates and venues:
Wednesday 21 July CD launch – 606 Jazz Club, Chelsea 7.30pm
Friday 27 August The Jazz Bar, Edinburgh 2.00pm
Saturday 28 August The Jazz Bar, Edinburgh 2.00pm
Sunday 29 August The Jazz Bar, Edinburgh 2.00pm
Thursday 9 September Café Chai, London - Ealing 8.00pm
Friday 10 September the cornerHOUSE, Surbiton 8.00pm
Saturday 18 September The Old Joint Stock, Birmingham 7.30pm
Sunday 19 September VoiceBoxUK, Derby (+ day workshop) 8.00pm
Friday 24 September The Library Theatre, Luton 2.00pm and 7.45pm
Thursday 30 September St James’ Wine Vaults, Bath 7.45pm
Friday 1 October The Bear Hotel, Devizes 9.00pm
Saturday 9 October Ropetackle Arts Centre, Shoreham by Sea (+ Alan Barnes, sax) 8.00pm
Singers’ Jazz Workshops led by Claire Martin, Verona Chard and Ian Shaw:
Saturday 5 June 606 Club 10.30am – 5pm
Saturday 11 September Ropetackle Arts Centre, Shoreham by Sea
