Shows

As well as performing music from her albums – which feature great reworkings of jazz standards as well as many originals, Sue has written four special shows: Too Cool, the life & music of Chet Baker; Screen Sirens, a musical celebration of the golden age of Hollywood; Jazz Immortal, the life & music of Clifford Brown and Beats & Roots, a show about the history of popular music development from the slavery to jazz, blues, salsa & samba to The Beatles; written particularly for use in education. Below is more information on each show. For Beats & Roots please see the education page.

Jazz Immortal

Following the huge success of Sue Richardson’s recent Chet Baker show, Too Cool, trumpeter and singer Sue has turned the spotlight onto another of her musical heroes, the legendary Clifford Brown. Sue’s in-depth research has resulted in an engaging narrative following a meteoric rise to stardom and his sudden end at a tragically early age. As with Jazz Immortal, the 1954 album Brown made with Zoot Simms, Sue’s band features a fourpiece horn section (trumpet, tenor, baritone and trombone), with Sue’s soaring trumpet taking the Clifford Brown part in her fantastic arrangements of the Jazz Immortal album. The show also spotlights standards he played with some of the greatest singers of the day (Sarah Vaughan, Helen Merrill and Dinah Washington), elegantly sung by Sue, as well as a touching ballad Clifford wrote for his wife, La Rue.

As well as being available as a seven-piece band, Sue performs this show in quartet format and is happy to work with house bands. Education workshops linked to the show are also available.

Screen Sirens

This is a night to don your glad rags and enjoy a musical soiree at the movies, in the company of international artiste Sue Richardson, her jazz band and the screen idols from Hollywood’s glamourous heyday.

In her signature story-telling style, Sue brings a cast of beautiful, tempestuous women to life, including some of the movie industry’s top leading ladies, from the first talkies through to the technicolour 1950s.

Meet both the beauties and the beasts and the popular Oscar winning songs which helped to make them famous – from films such as Top Hat, Breakfast at Tiffany’s and The Wizard of Oz.

This show is available as duo, trio or quartet format.

Too Cool

This show features trumpet player Chet Baker’s beautiful music, recalling the smoky jazz clubs of 1950s West Coast cool. Chet’s romantic music belied a tragic, heroin-fuelled existence. His intriguing story epitomises that of the classic jazz musician. Running through the fantastic music is a narrative that actress Sylvia Syms helped develop. The story that unfolds engages with all audiences whether jazz fans or not and generates discussions and sparks interest.

Sue Richardson’s trumpet playing catches [Chet Baker's] combination of delicacy and strength, and her singing has something of his candid simplicity. She even writes the kind of tunes that he might have invented. Also included are some pieces he wrote while serving time in jail. Outstanding in the excellent small band is Karen Sharp, whose baritone saxophone recalls Chet’s classic partnership with Gerry Mulligan.

4 star review in The Observer

Shows

Jazz Immortal

Screen Sirens

Too Cool

Sue Richardson

Live dates