Cabaret - Music Deco

Andrew Daldorph - Piano
Kate Walker - Vocals
Chris Gradwell - Clarinet and Saxophone

Music Deco

Music Deco delights in the rhythm, romance and evocative style of the most exciting time of popular music, the 1920s to the 1940s. Conjuring the very essence of the Deco Period and providing an evening of not just jazz or light music, but some of each, with a little comedy and smoky night club atmosphere thrown in as well.

Think of Bix Beiderbeck, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Duke Ellington and many, many more familiar names from those decades. Music Deco performs a variety of melodies, some instantly recognisable, some less familiar, but all leaving you with an evening warmly remembered.

For enquiries and bookings please contact Kate Walker t: 01579 351531 m: 07804 503047

Email: katewalkerdevon@hotmail.com

Kate Walker studied singing at Welsh College of Music and Drama and appears regularly in oratorio and concerts throughout the region. Kate continues to study with world renowned Mezzo Soprano Claire Powell. Although classically trained, singing popular songs from the eras of the 20's to the 40's has become a regular part of her performances. A chance meeting with Andrew Daldorph and Chris Gradwell, at a concert where all three were performing, lead to the re-formation of Music Deco.

Andrew Daldorph, graduated with a first class honours degree from the University of Southampton in 1973. He took up the post of organ scholar at Guildford Cathedral and subsequently gained Fellowship of the Royal College of Organists. Andrew took lessons from some of the country’s most eminent organists including Peter Hurford, David Hill, David Sanger and Dame Gillian Weir. Andrew has studied harpsichord under David Woolley. He frequently gives recitals and has played for concerts and services in concert halls and cathedrals throughout the country.

Chris Gradwell is an associate of the Royal Academy of Music and has freelanced with all the London orchestras, especially the London Symphony, Royal Philharmonic and National Philharmonic. Since moving to Devon, Chris also plays with The Beare Trio with Hilary Boxer and Andrew Daldorph, Le Jazz, The Little Big Band and AJ's Big Band. He is always exited by good music but especially the classical repertoire, and Classic Jazz tunes from the twenties to the present day.

Music Deco in concert - A review from The Sidmouth Herald by Roger Hendy

Stunning Cabaret by Music Deco

Those who braved the first biting chills of winter to attend a cabaret concert at Kennaway House, Sidmouth by Music Deco last Sunday, were amply rewarded by a performance of great variety and virtuosity. Music Deco musicians Kate Walker (soprano), Chris Gradwell (clarinet, sax and flute) accompanied by Andrew Daldorph (keyboard) entertained the audience to a feast of music which wonderfully reflected the heyday of music at the beginning of the last century during the famous Art Deco period.

With illustrative pieces by such composers as Gershwin, Noel Coward, Sid Philips and William Walton amongst many others, this extremely talented trio of musicians brilliantly reflected the development of music at that time. It was an imaginative snapshot and epitome of the sophistication, elegance and style, which the famous Art Deco period evoked.

Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres and his most popular melodies are widely known. The ones chosen by Music Deco focussed on the originality and imagination of the composer as recognised by the famous French composer Maurice Ravel. After a stunning opening of sequences from 'Rhapsody in Blue' by Chris Gradwell and Andrew Doldorph, Kate Walker joined in with an excellent characterisation and witty rendition of 'Naughty Baby'.

Those delightly quintessentially English and often patriotic works of Noel Coward were then brilliantly illustrated in the second half of the concert by a fabulous arrangement of 'In a bar on the Piccola Marina'. As I listened, I could imagine sailing away on one of those magnificent luxurious decadent trans-Atlantic ocean liners! Ah well, dream on.!

Not content with just standard popularised 'Tin Pan Alley' numbers, the captivated audience was then brilliantly entertained with two well-chosen noisettes from Walton's classical 'Façade' Suite played by Chris Gradwell with excellent accompaniment by Andrew Doldorph.

The cabaret ended with a witty piece, 'The Waltz' with lyrics by the famous Dorothy Parker and music by Ian Macpherson. Dorothy Parker was a leading figure of 1920s literary society known for her acerbic wit and low opinion of romantic relationships and eye for 20th century urban foibles. All the delightful nuances and of her poetry were skilfully illustrated in this piece by all three mucisicans with the result that the audience demanded an encore.

Kennaway House should be congratulated and delighted it can host performances of this high calibre and the Devon public can look forward to more magical cabaret evenings by Music Deco. All we missed was a sudden romantic flamboyant entrance by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers!

Don't miss Music Deco when they are playing in your area. You will not be disappointed!

Roger Hendy

Music Deco : Jazz Concert Review - from the Sidmouth Lions Website

There we were, Little Jazz Birds, in the beautiful splendour of the Music Room at the Sidholme Hotel in Sidmouth - feet tapping, fingers strumming, heads sometimes swaying from side to side - and heads sometimes looking up as the syncopated rhythms of the music - now haunting, then compelling, always demanding attention - rose up past the chandeliers to the enchanting domed and painted ceiling. Music from another era in a setting from another era - and it was all just perfect.

Then the song was about us - George Gershwin's seldom played "Little Jazz Bird". And we had to agree absolutely with the lyrics - "And I'm sure you'll agree that a little jazz bird is the only kind of bird to be"- especially when we were being entertained by the extremely capable and enjoyable Music Deco.

Music Deco is a group of three talented artists who have come together to play jazz in the style of the 1930's - Chris Gradwell (saxophone and clarinet); Andrew Daldorph (piano); and Kate Walker (vocals). Chris was a member of a previous Music Deco trio that enjoyed a lot of success on tour in the period from 1979. More recently, Chris and Andrew have been performing classical and jazz music together for eight years, and a chance meeting between Chris, Andrew and Kate, at a concert where they were all performing, led to the re-formation of Music Deco.

Well, we are very glad that that chance meeting took place - the result is a trio who are clearly very enthusiastic about their music and are first rate performers - and they gave us a wide and interesting variety of numbers in the style of the 1930's which was a joy to hear.

In "Pasadena" we went on a train journey - we could clearly hear the train start off and whistle - and then during the journey we were treated to a wonderful description in music of the joys of Pasadena - until, at the end, the train gradually came to a gentle stop. A fabulous expression of this in music.

Another favourite was Andrew's piano solo - Duke Ellington's "Do nothing 'til you hear from me". We could only wonder at Andrew's marvellous ability to play the piano so well, at all of the intricate improvisations, and at the energy of the performance. Amazing.

By contrast, "Lush Life", for example, was a slow tempo number of lost love and loneliness, full of emotion and with beautiful musical phrasing. Kate's singing throughout was fabulous, strong when she needed to be, and always a joy to hear. Chris' mastery of the saxophone and clarinet was very evident, particularly in one of the numbers which provided extremely quick and intricate musical phrases for the saxophone. In another number, Chris demonstrated to us "bending the notes" on the saxophone, where one note smoothly and seamlessly becomes another one. It was a privilege to be entertained by this talented trio, and we hope that we might get the chance to hear them again at some point in the future.

Perhaps one of the more unusual numbers of the evening was "The Waltz" - effectively like a short story set to music, about the thoughts and apparent mixed emotions of a young lady who was asked to dance - did she want to dance, or didn't she? - was she enjoying the dance, or perhaps she hated it? - did that clash of feet hurt, or was it really OK? - did she long for the dance to go on, or did she want it to end there and then?

Many thanks to Chris, Andrew and Kate, to Wally Cotgrave who organised the concert, to the Sidholme Hotel, and to all of those who attended. There was hardly a spare seat to be found, so Thank you very much.

We understand that a donation will be made from the concert to the funds of the Lions Club of Sidmouth, so we are very grateful for that. Many thanks.