Val Wiseman

Since her death in 1959, American singer Billie Holiday has become the icon of jazz junkies. Her voice is still used today on TV commercials yet her notorious reputation often obscures our view of the records she made.

Vivacious vocalist Val Wiseman separates the hits from the myth and as a full-size tribute to the recorded legacy of the greatest ever jazz tragedian, Lady Sings The Blues cannot be bettered. Val has a winsome way with the repertoire which avoids a move to the maudlin.

The first half highlights the young hopeful who transformed unassuming Tin Pan Ally fodder into nuggets of wax. The second set concentrates on the drunken diva of legend.

Val gets under the skin of the material, helped by a top-notch team led by laconic Digby Fairweather, with tender trombone from Roy Williams and robust tenor sax from Alan Barnes.