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ELAINE DELMAR has long been established
as a singer of the very highest calibre - with the voice, looks and personality
that have captivated audiences wherever she has appeared the world over.
Born in Hertfordshire, UK, Elaine was raised in
a strong musical environment, her father being the renowned trumpeter
Leslie 'Jiver' Hutchinson, a leading influence in the jazz and dance band
movement in Britain from the 1930s onwards.
After initially studying classical piano, Elaine
found a natural progression in singing and became a vocalist in her father's
own band at sixteen. It was soon apparent that her vocal talent and natural
affinity with the stage would lead her to triumph in many areas of the
entertainment world.
Elaine's experience is indeed wide and diverse.
On stage, she appeared in Cowardy Custard at London's Mermaid Theatre
and No Strings at Her Majesty's Theatre in the West End. Although
best known for her starring role in the musical Bubbling Brown Sugar
at The Royalty Theatre, London, she also had notable success with Kern
Goes To Hollywood, appearing in both the London and Broadway productions.
Elaine also received critical acclaim as a straight actress for her role
in A Map Of The World at the prestigious National Theatre.
She has made many appearances on TV and radio and featured in Ken Russell's
film Mahler as the Bohemian Princess.
As a singer, Elaine is equally at home whether entertaining a concert
audience or performing in the more intimate cabaret/small theatre setting.
For example, she has appeared in concerts with Andy Williams (Free Trade
Hall, Manchester) and Michel Legrand, with the London Symphony Orchestra
(Royal Albert Hall, London). In cabaret, her performances have included
appearances at The Ritz Hotel, London, as well as the QE2 and numerous
other cruise liners around the globe. In recent years Elaine has been
the star vocalist in such touring shows as Let's Do It, saluting
the music of Cole Porter and By George, It's Gershwin, a celebration
of Gershwin.
Elaine's popular annual appearances at the world famous Ronnie Scott's
Club in London have shown her to be remarkably adaptable in a jazz setting,
having worked at different times with such jazz giants as Herb Ellis,
Benny Carter and Stephane Grappelli. Her recent season and live album
at Ronnie Scott's evidence a singer who remains in the prime time of her
performing life. By popular demand, she will once again be headlining
at the club in 2005.
In reviewing her New Zealand tour of By George, It's Gershwin the
NZ Herald enthused:
"If somewhere in paradise a cloud is reserved for Kiri Te Kanawa to sing Mozart arias throughout eternity, not too far away another one must be set aside for Elaine Delmar to sing Gershwin. For if there is a better female singer around to interpret the songs of the great George, she must be in paradise already...the evening was pure gold."
But perhaps John Fordham, of the London Guardian, summed things up best when he said:
"Her style is a mixture of Broadway musical punch and jazz-inflected subtlety. She has the belting defiance of a torch singer at times and the knowing raised eyebrow rasp of a blues artist, but also a hushed, confiding intimacy where it is appropriate, it is a blend that invites the widest possible audience."
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ELAINE DELMAR at RONNIE SCOTT'S, LONDON (Oct 2009). Rating: 4/5 "This week, Ronnie Scott's 50th anniversary celebrations have been focusing on veteran singers, with Salena Jones, Madeline Bell and the octogenarian Jon Hendricks all taking their turn on the bandstand. Wednesday night belonged to Elaine Delmar, an artist who straddles jazz and cabaret and who tends to be taken for granted partly because she makes the art of swinging a tune seem effortless. Wikipedia insists that she turned 70 this year, but on the strength of this performance you can only assume that the people's oracle got her date of birth wrong by a good 30 years. While her voice may have lost a little of its sheen in the upper register, those glowing, cello-like phrases (shades of Sarah Vaughan) are as seductive as ever. James Pearson's house trio - heard to stunning effect on their new album, Swing The Club - provided the propulsion as Delmar swooped and soared through a set that mixed jazz standards with less conventional fare, including the elegant Cy Coleman-Carolyn Leigh love letter You Fascinate Me So. Delmar also revisited her West End past in Ain't Misbehavin', a number that found its way into the stage show Bubbling Brown Sugar. On Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered Delmar's voice was at its most lustrous. No More Blues - Jon Hendricks's translation of Chega de Saudade - worked well enough too. Delmar and the trio stepped up a gear or two on It's All Right with Me, with Pearson, the drummer Chris Dagley and bassist Arnie Somogyi close at her heels. Earlier, singer and band had proved that even a ballad as overfamiliar as In a Sentimental Mood could glow in the dark." -Clive Davis, Review from The Times Online, (Reproduced by kind permission) |