Monday, May 31, 2010 For up-to-the-minute news and information dailyecho.co.uk 19 with Lorelei Reddin, Entertainments Editor The ultimate guide to what’s on in the South: dailyecho.co.uk/leisure lorelei.reddin@dailyecho.co.uk scenesouth SHE has been crowned the new first lady of jazz.

Yorkshire born Clare Teal is one of the most successful female British jazz singers in decades with a string of albums behind her.

One of her number one fans is former chat show king Michael Parkinson.

And the jazz superstar singer and songwriter is returning to The Concorde in Eastleigh where she laid down the tracks for what has become a star-studded career.

Clare, who has a regular spot on BBC Radio 2, will be headlining the Stoneham Lane club’s Wednesday international jazz night on June 30.

The busy 37-year-old jazz songstress is currently on a nationwide tour which is being billed as Clare Teal Sings The Great British Songbook.

With classics including Try A Little Tenderness, the show pays homage to material over an 80-year period. It also features more modern classics such as He Was Beautiful by Stanley Myers and Dame Cleo Laine.

It was nearly ten years ago that Clare first appeared at The Concorde and it is a venue which is very close to her heart.

She says: “As all people in British jazz know this is one of the best clubs in the country.

“I remember being extremely excited when I finally got a gig at The Concorde.”

She said that Concorde boss Cole Mathieson was extremely important to British jazz.

Clare added: “He is very supportive of young people coming through. He has built up a really great club and he knows what the audience wants.”

And Cole is also full of praise for the entertainer who fell in love with big band music when she was only eight.

Cole said: “She is certainly one of the best entertainers around. She pulls the audience right into the stage because she has got such a lovely personality. We look forward to welcoming her back to The Concorde.”

She first took to The Concorde stage after signing a deal with the independent label, Candid. And she has not looked back.

Her popularity soared with appearances on radio and television, including the legendary chat show Parkinson.

She was eventually signed by Sony in what was the biggest recording deal by any British jazz singer.

Her album, Don’t Talk, shot straight into the charts at number 20 making her the first UK female mainstream jazz artist to have a top 20 album in almost 30 years.

She has won a string of jazz vocalist of the year awards.

Clare hails from a tiny Yorkshire village near Skipton and it was here that she first dived into a trunk full of 78s, belonging to her grandmother, which were gathering cobwebs in the attic.

She says: “I just fell in love with the sound of big band music. I was about eight years old and for ten years I listened and imitated everything that was in that box.”

She has been inspired by American jazz divas Ella Fitzgerald, Anita Day and Blossom Dearie. She is also a great admirer of the music of Cole Porter and Fred Astaire.

And Clare is sure of a big warm welcome when she beats a path to The Concorde.

■ Clare Teal and Her Musicians star in the international jazz night at The Concorde on Wednesday June 30. For more information ring 023 8061 3989.