Jazz At The Horsebridge: Louise Cookman Quartet at The Horsebridge Arts Centre

Vocalist Louise Cookman presents:

Queens of Swing, Celebrating the great female vocalists of the swing era.

In the 1930s and 1940s, swing music dominated the airwaves and dancefloors of America and beyond. Bandleaders such as Count Basie, Duke Ellington and the ‘King of Swing’, Benny Goodman, were hailed as musical royalty, and their singers -vocalists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and PeggyLee - were hugely popular. But these women were more than just jewels in a bandleader’s crown: by bringing their own sound, style and glamour to the bandstand, they challengedthe accepted image of the decorative girl singer (or “canary”) and instead became a central part of the music, stepping intothe spotlight as the indisputable Queens of the Swing Era....

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Vocalist Louise Cookman presents:

Queens of Swing, Celebrating the great female vocalists of the swing era.

In the 1930s and 1940s, swing music dominated the airwaves and dancefloors of America and beyond. Bandleaders such as Count Basie, Duke Ellington and the ‘King of Swing’, Benny Goodman, were hailed as musical royalty, and their singers -vocalists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and PeggyLee - were hugely popular. But these women were more than just jewels in a bandleader’s crown: by bringing their own sound, style and glamour to the bandstand, they challengedthe accepted image of the decorative girl singer (or “canary”) and instead became a central part of the music, stepping intothe spotlight as the indisputable Queens of the Swing Era.

Renowned swing era vocalist, Louise Cookman and her musicians, present a tribute to the talented women whose voices define the sound of the swing era, featuring songs made famous by Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Peggy Lee, Anita O’Day and more!

Louise has been the vocalist with many of the best known swing and big bands in the UK, from the Pasadena Roof Orchestra and The Glenn Miller Orchestra, to the Syd Lawrence Orchestra, Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Orchestra and the BBC Big Band. She also assumes the role of Martha Tilton in Pete Long’s acclaimed recreation of Benny Goodman’s famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Concert and has presented special shows for the Jazz Centre UK and other venues exploring the technique and vocal style of the 1930s and 1940s.

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