Biography
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"Kelly's songwriting explores inner visions and outer appearances through some exceptionally beautiful musical journeys." Jazzwise |
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"...restrained instrumentation, intelligent arrangement and superbly controlled vocals..." BBC Music |
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"A young Londoner with film star looks, Juliet Kelly serves up a good first recording that begs for listening by adherents of jazz and pop-jazz." Downbeat Magazine |
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Quotes:
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Juliet discovered her talent for singing whilst studying for an economics degree at university but it took some time before she found her musical identity... "Whilst a lot of my peers were recording albums of standards, I delayed, waiting and hoping to find my own voice and to record an album of my original material. This resulted in my debut album "Aphrodite's Child". Although I love jazz standards and often include several in my live peformances, I wanted to share my own perspective of the beauty, freedom and expression of jazz-influenced music - music that can appeal to a younger and more diverse audience as well as to more mainstream jazz fans. "I've been extremely fortunate to work with such exceptionally talented musicians. We've really enjoyed playing the songs and recording the albums - I hope you enjoy the results!" Her debut album, Aphrodite's Child, featured a band of the hottest young players on the scene - Mike Gorman (piano), Tom Barlow (acoustic bass) and Seb Rochford (drums) with special guest, Tony Kofi (sax). Recorded in 2003 , it featured her own highly accessible compositions which ranged from toe-tapping grooves to breathtakingly beautiful ballads and garnered excellent reviews and radio airplay including Jazz FM and BBC Radio 2 & 3. As well as opening for US musicians that have included singer Carmen Lundy and jazz legend Ron Carter, Juliet has worked with many high profile UK musicians including Gary Crosby, Seb Rochford, Tony Kofi and Talvin Singh with whom she performed in Courtney Pine's band for a live BBC2/4 broadcast for the BBC's Jazz Britannia season at the Barbican in 2005. This was followed by two successful sell-out concerts in Russia and her debut US performance that took place at Sweet Rhythm jazz club (formerly the legendary Sweet Basil's) in New York. Juliet's second album, Delicious Chemistry, was released at the end of 2005. It's a collection of her newest songs that further showcase her talent for writing laid-back accessible jazz with their subtle grooves, lilting melodies and simple but quirky harmonies. Joining her for this outing were regulars Tom Barlow and Seb Rochford, alongside Australian guitarist Carl Orr, and the album features special guests Kate Williams, Omar Puente, Roger Beaujolais, Byron Wallen and awarding-winning saxophonist and BBC radio presenter, Courtney Pine. Described by Jazzwise as "exceptionally beautiful", the album has received rave reviews and widespread airplay on local and national radio stations. In the same year, Juliet appeared as guest vocalist on Courtney Pine's album, Resistance. In 2006 Juliet opened for the Grammy-award winning vocal group Take 6 as part of the London Jazz Festival at the Barbican and 2007 saw demand for her accessible jazz spread overseas leading to sell-out shows in Germany, Greece and Russia. She is currently working on her 3rd album - a mix of original material and her own take on some well known covers. Photographs by Adrian Thomas |
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