With a Jamaican
mother and jazz-obsessed father, Louise Parker was born
to create the sort of soulful jazz she is rapidly
gaining a reputation for.
Named after Louis Armstrong and bought up listening to
her father’s extensive blue-note collection, it was
until her late thirties however (after numerous career
choices!) that Louise discovered she could actually
sing.
Following a Diploma in Performing Arts and a jazz
summer-school with Lee Gibson, Louise began performing
with Plymouth based main-stream jazz band Woza in 1998,
gaining valuable experience on the West country jazz
club and festival circuit.
By 2005 the band had transformed into the Louise Parker
Quartet and saw her performing with notable jazz
musicians such as Craig Milverton, Nicola Muresu and
John Blease and at venues including the Glastonbury
Festival Jazz Lounge, Pizza Express, Dean Street, Pizza
on the Park, Knightsbridge, and the Isle of Wight
International Jazz Festival.
In 2006, Louise was tipped by Evening Standard critic
Jack Massarik as the most promising new jazz singer and
she didn’t disappoint with more performances at Pizza on
the Park.
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“Sweetly soulful jazz
vocals.”
Mike Flynn Jazzwise Magazine
2007 has seen her up her game once more, performing with
BBC Jazz Award winner, saxophonist Alan Barnes at the
Plymouth Orange Music Festival and recording her latest
CD with him. Other venues planned for this year include
The International Isle of Wight Jazz Festival, Keswick
Jazz Festival, Pizza Express with Alan Barnes (Dean
Street), Sterts Theatre with Karen Sharp, The Hayne
Barton Jazz Festival, Jazz Song Cafe in Blackpool, and
The Teignmouth Jazz Festival.
With influences
including Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie
Holiday and a mix of funk and gospel, Louise combines an
easy rhythmical style with a sweet warm tone and daring
scatting to create a performance which really stirs the
soul.
After being asked to do a guest spot on Humphrey
Lyttelton's live show, Louise has just been asked to
appear on Humph's next album, recording will begin in
October!
Louise is currently touring the UK, promoting her new
album,
“No More Strangers”
“There’s no
substitute for good time and tone... Tender or wild, her
voice never lost its warmth and her phrasing had an
in-built propulsion rarely heard from others.”
Jack
Massarik London Evening Standard |
