CIVILISED Beaumont St refuge, the Gallipoli Legion, will step up its push into the entertainment market next weekend.
Sophisticated jazz quartet, MICKEY BARKER & THE LOUNGE REVUE, will commence its weekly residency at the club on Saturday, September 30, and is also featuring regular guest artists.
'We're playing downstairs and we're just making it nice and relaxed,' lead vocalist Barker said.
'We're hoping to attract people who have been out for dinner and are looking to go out somewhere but don't want to go into an awful smelly pub.'
The jazz quartet of vocalist Barker, guitarist DAMIEN WATSON, bass player MICK KING and drummer CARY BENNETT, will be supplemented every Saturday night by a feature artist.
The first feature artist next weekend will be reknowned horn player CLARE BAIL from Port Stephens.
The Lounge Revue draws material from jazz of the 1930s through to the 1960s.
'We've got enough songs people will know but we've got a hell of a lot of songs people won't know,' Barker said.
Standards such as LOVE FOR SALE, will sit beside other fine numbers such as NATURE BOY by NAT KING COLE, IN MY SOLITUDE by DUKE ELLINGTON, GOD BLESS THE CHILD by GEORGE GERSHWIN and BLACK ORPHEUS by ANTONIO CARLOS JOBIM. 'It's laid back, it's warm, and people get really passionate about it,' she said.
Once a month Barker will swap the spotlight of the lead vocalist's microphone for a drummer's stool in her other band GLAMOUR PUSS. The all-female band features Barker on drums and vocals, RACHEL WESTACOTT on saxophone and clarinet, LISA SCULLY on trumpet and RACHEL HAMILTON on keyboards.
The only male member is CHRIS DAWSON 'in a frock' on upright bass.
Glamour Puss is notable for its members' 'sassy' performances, and female-orientated material.
Songs include MY HEART BELONGS TO DADDY by EARTHA KITT, DO YOUR DUTY by BESSIE SMITH, and standards by DUKE ELLINGTON and the song THE GYPSY IN YOUR SOUL. The group also performs a whole swag of BILLIE HOLIDAY tunes such as THE SHADOW OF YOUR SMILE, YESTERDAYS, YOU'VE CHANGED and PRISONER OF LOVE. Other entertainment planned for the club includes larger gigs upstairs booked by former Northern Star Hotel entertainment guru MARK JOHNSON and a 'gypsy' ensemble from former HEADBIN and BLEEDERS performer SUE MORLEY. TE
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