Born in Florida of a French mother and a Haitian father, Cécile, now aged just 22, is pursuing musical studies at the Aix-en-Provence Conservatoire. In addition to her studies, she has been drawing rave reviews working and across Europe with various bands, usually under the leadership of her mentor, the great clarinet and sax man Jean-François Bonnel. As a further proof of her talent, Cécile won first prize in the prestigious 2010 Thelonious Monk International Vocal Jazz Competition in Washington D.C., resulting in a $20,000 scholarship, a recording contract with the U.S. Concord label and an offer from no less than Wynton Marsalis to sing with the Lincoln Center Jazz Repertory Orchestra. Cecile is an outstanding interpreter of the material of Billie Holiday, bringing fresh insights into Billie’s 1930s work in particular.

The all-star band assembled to back Cecile are all steeped in the 1930s jazz idiom, with Jean-François Bonnel leading pianist Martin Litton, trumpeter Enrico Tomasso, guitarist Roly Veitch, bassist Manu Hagmann and drummer Richard Pite. This concert forms a musical prelude to Cécile’s programme celebrating other early jazz singers at the Classic Jazz Party itself.

PLEASE NOTE:
Tickets for this concert will be on sale from January 2nd, 2012 exclusively from The Sage Gateshead. You can book online via their website (www.thesagegateshead.org) or by phone at (0191) 443 4661. Tickets are priced at £16.50/£12.50, with the usual concessions. There will also be a return coach service between the Village Hotel and The Sage Gateshead: please email us at wbjazzfest@btinternet.com to reserve your coach seat(s).