My latest blog: The Broadway & Greenwoods Hotel
Last Friday I sang at The Broadway Hotel in Letchworth with the wonderful Eugene Portman on piano and on Sunday I was at Greenwoods Hotel & Spa in Stock, Essex with talented jazz pianist, Steve Ashworth.
There was a great crowd at The Broadway who loved our sets and made loads of requests – we get quite a few regulars who come out every month to see us, which is really lovely. We have such a lot of fun there. However, during the last couple of songs I noticed my voice was getting a bit husky – I felt absolutely fine though and thought nothing of it….
…….By Sunday, my voice was almost completely gone! So the jazz afternoon at Greenwoods was the most challenging gig I’ve ever had, my voice took on a whole new persona which Steve said he rather liked! I apologised to the guests at the end of the gig for bringing along a voice which didn’t actually belong to me and if they’d like to hear how I really sound then they should visit my website – thankfully they were a very forgiving bunch who were extremely kind. For me though, it was quite upsetting – every singer’s worst fear. Steve said I was a trooper :)
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My latest blog: Wedding at Hidcote Gardens in Glos.
This afternoon’s wedding was at Hidcote Gardens in Gloucestershire. Eugene and I were performing for the ceremony of Claire and Joppe, this was to take place in one of the glass houses. We were surrounded by beautiful plants and flowers. There were about 60/80 guests inside the glass house which was quite small, things got even more compact when the heavens opened and the roof starting leaking during the ceremony, thankfully the bride, groom, registrar and very important musicians stayed dry ;) – lots of shuffling and ducking coming from the back though!
In the evening we moved to a marquee in the gardens, where we were joined by Mike Green on double bass, Dave Tandy on drums and Casey Greene on saxophone – 3 incredible musicians and a dream to work with. The rain pounded the marquee all evening but this definitely didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits, it was a fantastic evening, it seemed as if every guest danced non-stop late into the night.
My abiding memory though is Eugene having a big laugh at my expense as I ran stumbling across the grass in my heels trying to escape the downpour, whilst wrestling a huge umbrella to the ground as it turned inside out. The wedding guests had a great view of that too – sophisticated and stylish, that’s me!!
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My latest blog: Wedding at Prested Hall in Essex
Today's wedding was at a small but beautifully formed country house hotel called Prested Hall, which is in Feering near Colchester. Eugene was asked to play solo piano for the ceremony which took place in the garden, he played Pachelbel's ‘Canon in D’ for the entrance, Bach's ‘Air on a G String’ for the signing and.... Take That's ‘Rule the World’ for the recession! Following the ceremony we both performed jazz and swing for the guests in the garden while they had Champagne and enjoyed the very hot sun.....I hadn't realised we'd be outside on the grass and had a hard time staying upright in my very high heels and extremely tight wiggle skirt!..... Eugene was no help at all and just laughed at me!
Following the drinks reception we moved inside the large marquee to play some more jazz/swing during the wedding breakfast, the guests were lovely and really seemed to enjoy our music, we had some really nice comments and were well looked after by all the staff, the atmosphere was very relaxed and informal, we thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon and many thanks to Nadine for booking us for her wedding day.
Before heading home we went for a drink at The Sun Inn, by the River Stour, just down the road in the village of Dedham, it was a lovely evening, I had something to eat while Eugene talked to the ducks....he likes ducks!
The name's Bond..... ;)
My latest blog: Wedding at Wotton House Dorking
Wotton House is a striking venue on the outskirts of Dorking, surrounded by beautiful landscaped gardens. We were performing for a wedding of about 100 guests. It was my first time working alongside jazz pianist Robin Phillips, who is a fantastic performer and a lovely guy, we also had the excellent Dave Trigwell on drums, Robin & Dave really hit it off and played brilliantly together. The wedding party were a super-lively bunch who wanted to dance their socks off all night…we just about managed to keep up with them!
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My latest blog: Store opening in Tunbridge Wells & Wedding in Northants
I had two gigs today! the first one was a store opening for Staples in Tunbridge Wells, they asked for the quartet to play outside to entertain specially invited customers queueing for heavily discounted laptops and printers etc. There was quite a jolly atmosphere with balloons, freebies and stilt walkers to buffer the long wait. I was with pianist, Steve Ashworth, bass player, Mike Porter Ward and drummer Dave Trigwell, we set up under a gazebo which turned out to be inadequate protection from the rain, which wouldn't let up, we kept having to shuffle ourselves and the gear around to stop things getting wet - oh the glamour! Anyway, the music went down well and we had a lot of laughs!
After Staples, Steve and I drove to Oundle in Northants for a wedding in the evening with Midlands based bass player Mike Green. Oundle is a gorgeous ancient market town on the River Nene, not far from Peterborough. We were performing for the wedding reception of Andy & Hattie at the magnificent Oundle School which is in the heart of the town and is the 3rd largest independant boarding school in England. The reception took place in The Great Hall which was very striking and acoustically fantastic! one of the best venues I've ever sung in - and a world away from the damp car park at Staples!
We had a large stage to set up on and a crowd of the warmest and friendliest wedding guests I've ever met, wedding guests are always (usually ;) happy and lovely but there was something really special about this group, the atmosphere was hard to describe, it was just perfect. The boys and myself had the best time on that stage and Andy & Hattie were an adorable couple. 
My latest blog: Jazz Night at The Broadway in Letchworth
Last Friday night, Eugene and I were at The Broadway Hotel in Letchworth Garden City in Herts, this is a regular monthly spot for us - and we love it! (I'm not going to mention the 4 hours it took us to travel 85 miles! - M25 on a Friday pm should be avoided unless absolutely necessary, it's a good job Eugene and I get on so well and always remember to bring plenty of snacks!)
The Broadway is a lovely hotel in the centre of town so there's always a real mix of people, they serve great food all evening or you can just pop in for a drink, the staff are great too and look after us really well.
We played from 7pm til about 10.30pm and it was really busy, there was a fantastic atmosphere all evening. I love it when we get lots of smiles and nods of approval as people pass us, I like it even more when they come up and talk to me - preferably not while I'm singing though!
Eugene was on incredible form that night - he really is a formidable talent and it's such an honour to be able to work with him - he really makes me laugh too! www.eugeneportman.com
Our next night at The Broadway will be Friday 27th August www.broadwayhotel.co.uk/index.php
My latest blog: 60th Birthday Party in Stansted Village, Kent
Following the gig at Pines Calyx near Dover, Eugene and I drove straight to the tiny village of Stansted in Kent. We were performing for a 60th Birthday party in a marquee on the village green. We had a really lovely time, there were about 120 people there, enjoying a fine summer's evening, we were well looked after and the atmosphere was very laid back and so friendly. We played from 7pm - 11pm and the guests seem to really enjoy all the songs and made some lovely comments through the evening. It was a wonderful, happy family occasion and we were delighted to be a part of it....the hog roast was fantastic too!
My Latest Blog: Trio booked for Staff BBQ at Pines Calyx eco venue near Dover.
I had a lovely gig last Saturday with Eugene on piano and Dave Trigwell on drums at Pines Calyx in St. Margarets Bay, Dover. We were asked to provide a trio for a 10th anniversary staff bbq for the Norfolkline ferry company. The organiser, Kyle, was lovely and looked after us really well, providing us with a large gazebo to protect us from the hot sun and countless reminders to help ourselves to food and drinks!
This eco - friendly, sustainable venue is amazing and built on 6 acres of beautiful parkland - perfect for weddings. Check it out - http://www.pinescalyx.co.uk/index.html
The afternoon was mellow and very enjoyable with the adults loving the chance to relax in the sunshine and soak up the tranquil atmosphere of the place while their offspring were highly amused and entertained by the super-charged children's entertainers - a pixie & pirate double act who were brilliant.
Our music seemed to go down well and we had some lovely compliments.... : ) - (apart from one man who walked over while I was singing and said "don't you do any Rock & Roll?......can't please everyone I suppose! )
All in all a very pleasant way to spend a sunny summer's afternoon!
Pines Calyx
The gardens
My latest blog: Wedding at Plateau restaurant in Canary Wharf....
This was the first time I had been to Canary Wharf, and, unaccustomed as I am to standing at the foot of several sky scrapers, I found it quite a spectacle....and so clean! Everything looked brand new and gleaming, gazing up at One Canada Square (the UK’s tallest Building) is particularly breathtaking.
I was performing with Eugene Portman on piano and Mike Porter-Ward on double bass for a wedding reception at Plateau restaurant on the 4th floor of Canada Place. This is a big place with a stylish contemporary design and an entirely glass fourth wall overlooking all the buzz of Canada Square, which was even more spectacular as night fell.
The wedding party were great; they were very mellow and really enjoying themselves. Quite a few were dancing and loved the mix of ballads and up tempo numbers. There seems to be an understandable misconception when planning reception/dinner dance music that people will only want to dance to up tempo numbers, we’ve honestly found that just as often people will get up to dance to the mid tempo and slower numbers – particularly with weddings where there is often a wide range of ages and abilities!
We were very well looked after by the staff – who were super-efficient, and Ryan, the groom, couldn’t have been nicer and seemed delighted that his family and friends had enjoyed our music.
We were back on the road by midnight…only to find the Blackwall Tunnel CLOSED…curses!!
Oh well, lovely night regardless…..
My latest blog: Sheila Daniels & Eugene Portman - Jazz Night on board The Royal Scotsman.
What a brilliant night we had on the glorious Royal Scotsman train in Scarborough, North Yorkshire. We were asked to provide an evening’s entertainment for the 33 passengers who were on a seven day Grand Tour of Great Britain. They were an interesting mix of people, mostly from the UK, Germany and the United States. We arrived on the station platform at 8pm just in time to see the train rolling in. It was pouring with rain and we had to drag our gear the length of the platform to reach the Observation Carriage at the far end of the train. As we, apprehensively, reached the door we were greeted by the man in charge, Michael I think, who was warm and welcoming, the epitome of calm and very well polished! We set up as the guests dined in the adjoining cars – one of the ladies from the German party told me later that the food was fabulous and just ‘too much’. The carriage was just beautiful, with comfy sofas, fine fabrics and fresh flowers, with a railed veranda – the kind you see parting lovers waving from in old movies! ….oh yes, a world away from the grim pub across the road from the station.
At 10pm we started and the carriage was full of smiling and attentive travellers as we opened the Great American Songbook. They knew and loved all the songs and nodded approval at all our choices….so easy to please! They sang along and two couples marked out the little space there was for dancing and did a brilliant job. We chatted between numbers and took a few requests, we wrapped up just before midnight thanking everyone for being so lovely. This was one of the most intimate and enjoyable gigs I’ve ever done. I sat talking with the guests a while after Michael brought me a chilled glass of very good wine…’I could get used to this’, I thought! 
Lovely Scarborough
