Fleur Stevenson is an alluringly graceful and charismatic jazz singer with a charming off-beat sense of humour. Guitarist Hugh Turner will join her.
Fleur Stephenson
A familiar face on the London jazz scene, Fleur Stevenson is gifted with a honeyed tone, an offbeat sense of humour and a naturally charismatic stage presence. Fleur creates an instant rapport with her audience through a sparkling narrative and an unerring instinct for choosing the right material to showcase her talent.
Her phrasing, use of space and improvisational ability nod to obvious influences from the greats such as Shirley Horn and Anita O’Day but Fleur is carving a niche all of her own with her surprising yet stylish interpretations of jazz standards and her tender, heartfelt delivery of romantic ballads.
A treat for fans of first-class, straight-ahead vocal jazz delivered by one of the UK’s fastest-rising stars.
Fleur enjoys collaborations with many of the UK’s top musicians including Gareth Williams, Pete Billington, Frank Harrison and Brandon Allen to name a few. She performs at many prestigious venues across the UK, including the legendary Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, 606 Club and Pizza Express Jazz Club, Soho.
Quotes about her recent album:
“There is attention to detail in every track and very clear nods to the composers, yet each number is also imbued with originality… This album is class.” Something Else
“50 minutes of charming vocal jazz.” Roger Farbey, All About Jazz
“This is an absolutely delightful album from Fleur Stevenson… and will appeal to all who appreciate top drawer vocal jazz.” Jazz Views
”The honey-toned voice is a delight, excellent diction, feelingly sung, and the trio perform really well, with lots of space for piano solos.” Bebop Spoken Here
Hugh Turner
At 16 Hugh had already started teaching and had discovered jazz, first studying under Cedric West, the acclaimed Burmese jazz guitarist, and later John Etheridge and Dave Cliff, Britain’s finest bebop guitar player.
Graduating in jazz rock and classical guitar from North London University at age 19, Hugh played in all the London and the South-East’s jazz clubs with his already-formed jazz trio. During the next few years he continued with his jazz performances and concentrated on his composition. Pop session work, touring and many dance music recording sessions kept him off the streets.
In 1995 Hugh co-founded ‘Jazz Upstairs’, a club showcasing the best of British Jazz. Alan Barnes, Jon Gee, Jay Denson, Theo Travis and Dave Cliff all visited the club with the great house rhythm section of Andy Crowdy (acoustic bass) and Simon Price (drums).
Around this time he formed Funk Assembly and started the JW’s residency, featuring among others Brandon Allen (sax), Dennis Rollins (trombone), Brian Edwards (sax) and Andy Gangadeen (drums).