Stacey Kent is my favourite jazz singer... if you don't know who she is, then you are certainly missing out. Her music is nothing less than incredible and is the perfect antidote to a stressful day at work. Relaxing with a glass of wine and listening to Stacey's music is, put simply, divine!
I had the great honour of interviewing her last year and it was, without doubt, one of the highlight's of my career.
Imagine my surprise when I received an email from her last week. Sadly, a year ago she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had chosen not to divulge the news to her fans until now - just before a charity concert she is giving in aid of breast cancer awareness.
Here is her press release... please spread the word about this very important cause.
stacey kent & her musicians
Live @ Indigo2 13th October 2008
Millenium Way, Greenwich SE10 0AX, 0844 844 0002, www.theindigo2.com, 7pm, £40-£10
"...she has charm to burn, a smile that could give you hope in February and sings like nobody's
business." -- WALL STREET JOURNAL
Stacey Kent (vocals) with Jim Tomlinson (saxes), Graham Harvey (piano), John Parricelli (guitar), Jeremy Brown (double bass) and Matt Skelton (drums)
A year on from the release of her Gold-selling Blue Note album, Breakfast On The Morning Tram, Stacey Kent will perform a special charity concert at the Indigo2 on 13th October 2008 as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Stacey, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007, has chosen to give this concert in aid of
three breast cancer charities, Breast Cancer Care, Breakthrough Breast Cancer and the Barnet
Breast Unit Fund. All of the proceeds from the concert will go to these charities.
What is more, the concert represents the last opportunity to see Stacey and her brilliant band live in London before next autumn. And as an added bonus they’ll be joined, for this show only,
by wonderful guitarist, John Parricelli, who contributed so memorably to her most recent album,
Breakfast On the Morning Tram.
Stacey was diagnosed with breast cancer just as she commenced recording in April 2007, and
though deeply shocked, decided that she couldn’t not do the thing she loved most - make music! Bravely, she opted to complete the recording and commence with her tour - 27 countries and counting - while also under going treatment for cancer. She also chose to keep her illness private, determined to focus her interviews on how much she loved her new music. It is only now that she is completely healthy, and the album an international success, that Stacey has chosen to discuss her illness and to perform this major concert to raise awareness and in support of three cancer related charities - including the local unit where she received such brilliant care. Stacey's new album, Breakfast On The Morning Tram, is out now on Blue Note / EMI.
A ‘Limited edition’ version with bonus CD singles and DVD is released on Sept 29th
www.staceykent.com www.myspace.com/staceykentmusic
Breakfast On The Morning Tram is GOLD in France and Germany.
Jim Tomlinson & Kazuo Ishiguro's song, THE ICE HOTEL featured on Breakfast On The Morning Tram, has won First Place in the Jazz category of the 2007 International Songwriting Competition.
Stacey Kent on why this concert means so much to her:
“I was diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2007, just as we were starting to record my Blue
Note debut album, Breakfast On The Morning Tram. Obviously, this came as a huge shock! I am
young and very healthy and have always looked after myself. I went in for surgery in May, and
finally, I went through radiation last July, when thankfully, the album tour kept me close to home and on the continent only. After that, we left for Japan and the rest of the worldwide tour.
I did have the choice of cancelling the recording session and subsequent tour, but Jim and I thought that as heartbreaking as this news was, we would have been much sadder to have stopped doing the thing we are most passionate about. We talked it out and realized that if everything were to become about the illness, it would be much harder to get through the illness,
the surgery, etc. But in this way, by continuing to work, we had something wonderful to look forward to and I do believe in staying positive. So, we did indeed stay positive and managed to
combine our main aims --1) to get me healthy again 2) to create this album we loved so much.
On doctor’s advice, I ended up taking one week off after surgery and in the end, I bounced
back pretty quickly. And I just wanted to get back to work and to living a normal life!
Ironically, BREAKFAST was always going to be my most reflective, most personal album anyway and then .... my world was turned upsidedown! And though there is no 'theme' on this album, so many of the songs we chose were about the timeline of life, the delicate balance of the joy and the sadness we all have to face in our lives: Songs like "What A Wonderful World" "So Many Stars" "Landslide " "Never Let Me Go" "I Wish I Could Go Travelling Again" "Breakfast On The Morning Tram" -- all the Ishiguro songs, which are heartbreaking and yet all have an optimistic undertone -- one song after the other, they are hugely poignant stories. It was an emotional time, to say the least and making the album put us on an emotional rollercoaster.
However, I decided that I did not want my interviews to be about the cancer but still wanted to
talk about the music, which meant so much to me. Also, Jim and I were just too raw at the time
to speak publicly and we had this enormous tour ahead of us. We therefore made the decision
to keep my illness private and to focus on our new album and exciting new adventure with Blue
Note.
The reason for this concert (during 'Breast Cancer Awareness Month’) is that I am now fine and
cancer free and I am now able to talk about my illness and recovery. And most importantly, the
care and support I received, which was (and continues to be) absolutely amazing. I want to be
able to give something back and to help others if I can and I have chosen three charities (one
for research, one for care, one for the centre where I was actually treated) and Jim and I will
donate all proceeds from the concert.
This concert comes right between a 3 week tour in Germany and a tour in Brazil but we wanted
to be part of "Breast Cancer Awareness Month and this was the only way to do it!
Praise for Stacey Kent’s Blue Note debut Breakfast On The Morning Tram:
"... true brilliance...a marvelously inventive launching pad for this bold, brave new Kent."
Jazz Times
'Devastatingly stylish' The Observer
"Genuinely affecting" The Guardian
"Stacey continues to deliver intimate ballads with perfect timing and control". BBC
I had the great honour of interviewing her last year and it was, without doubt, one of the highlight's of my career.
Imagine my surprise when I received an email from her last week. Sadly, a year ago she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had chosen not to divulge the news to her fans until now - just before a charity concert she is giving in aid of breast cancer awareness.
Here is her press release... please spread the word about this very important cause.
stacey kent & her musicians
Live @ Indigo2 13th October 2008
Millenium Way, Greenwich SE10 0AX, 0844 844 0002, www.theindigo2.com, 7pm, £40-£10
"...she has charm to burn, a smile that could give you hope in February and sings like nobody's
business." -- WALL STREET JOURNAL
Stacey Kent (vocals) with Jim Tomlinson (saxes), Graham Harvey (piano), John Parricelli (guitar), Jeremy Brown (double bass) and Matt Skelton (drums)
A year on from the release of her Gold-selling Blue Note album, Breakfast On The Morning Tram, Stacey Kent will perform a special charity concert at the Indigo2 on 13th October 2008 as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Stacey, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007, has chosen to give this concert in aid of
three breast cancer charities, Breast Cancer Care, Breakthrough Breast Cancer and the Barnet
Breast Unit Fund. All of the proceeds from the concert will go to these charities.
What is more, the concert represents the last opportunity to see Stacey and her brilliant band live in London before next autumn. And as an added bonus they’ll be joined, for this show only,
by wonderful guitarist, John Parricelli, who contributed so memorably to her most recent album,
Breakfast On the Morning Tram.
Stacey was diagnosed with breast cancer just as she commenced recording in April 2007, and
though deeply shocked, decided that she couldn’t not do the thing she loved most - make music! Bravely, she opted to complete the recording and commence with her tour - 27 countries and counting - while also under going treatment for cancer. She also chose to keep her illness private, determined to focus her interviews on how much she loved her new music. It is only now that she is completely healthy, and the album an international success, that Stacey has chosen to discuss her illness and to perform this major concert to raise awareness and in support of three cancer related charities - including the local unit where she received such brilliant care. Stacey's new album, Breakfast On The Morning Tram, is out now on Blue Note / EMI.
A ‘Limited edition’ version with bonus CD singles and DVD is released on Sept 29th
www.staceykent.com www.myspace.com/staceykentmusic
Breakfast On The Morning Tram is GOLD in France and Germany.
Jim Tomlinson & Kazuo Ishiguro's song, THE ICE HOTEL featured on Breakfast On The Morning Tram, has won First Place in the Jazz category of the 2007 International Songwriting Competition.
Stacey Kent on why this concert means so much to her:
“I was diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2007, just as we were starting to record my Blue
Note debut album, Breakfast On The Morning Tram. Obviously, this came as a huge shock! I am
young and very healthy and have always looked after myself. I went in for surgery in May, and
finally, I went through radiation last July, when thankfully, the album tour kept me close to home and on the continent only. After that, we left for Japan and the rest of the worldwide tour.
I did have the choice of cancelling the recording session and subsequent tour, but Jim and I thought that as heartbreaking as this news was, we would have been much sadder to have stopped doing the thing we are most passionate about. We talked it out and realized that if everything were to become about the illness, it would be much harder to get through the illness,
the surgery, etc. But in this way, by continuing to work, we had something wonderful to look forward to and I do believe in staying positive. So, we did indeed stay positive and managed to
combine our main aims --1) to get me healthy again 2) to create this album we loved so much.
On doctor’s advice, I ended up taking one week off after surgery and in the end, I bounced
back pretty quickly. And I just wanted to get back to work and to living a normal life!
Ironically, BREAKFAST was always going to be my most reflective, most personal album anyway and then .... my world was turned upsidedown! And though there is no 'theme' on this album, so many of the songs we chose were about the timeline of life, the delicate balance of the joy and the sadness we all have to face in our lives: Songs like "What A Wonderful World" "So Many Stars" "Landslide " "Never Let Me Go" "I Wish I Could Go Travelling Again" "Breakfast On The Morning Tram" -- all the Ishiguro songs, which are heartbreaking and yet all have an optimistic undertone -- one song after the other, they are hugely poignant stories. It was an emotional time, to say the least and making the album put us on an emotional rollercoaster.
However, I decided that I did not want my interviews to be about the cancer but still wanted to
talk about the music, which meant so much to me. Also, Jim and I were just too raw at the time
to speak publicly and we had this enormous tour ahead of us. We therefore made the decision
to keep my illness private and to focus on our new album and exciting new adventure with Blue
Note.
The reason for this concert (during 'Breast Cancer Awareness Month’) is that I am now fine and
cancer free and I am now able to talk about my illness and recovery. And most importantly, the
care and support I received, which was (and continues to be) absolutely amazing. I want to be
able to give something back and to help others if I can and I have chosen three charities (one
for research, one for care, one for the centre where I was actually treated) and Jim and I will
donate all proceeds from the concert.
This concert comes right between a 3 week tour in Germany and a tour in Brazil but we wanted
to be part of "Breast Cancer Awareness Month and this was the only way to do it!
Praise for Stacey Kent’s Blue Note debut Breakfast On The Morning Tram:
"... true brilliance...a marvelously inventive launching pad for this bold, brave new Kent."
Jazz Times
'Devastatingly stylish' The Observer
"Genuinely affecting" The Guardian
"Stacey continues to deliver intimate ballads with perfect timing and control". BBC
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