
The BBC Concert Orchestra performs alongside an all-star cast in ‘The Big Blind’ - a noir-inspired jazz audio drama by Kurt Elling and Phil Galdston.
(Review by Lauren Bush/Photos © Tom Howard)
Cast:Clarke Peters Eddie Freeman, an older, African-American jazz saxophonistKurt Elling Jack Lewis, a young, up-and-coming jazz vocalistIan Shaw Tony ‘The Mongoose’ Bonilla, a mob-connected British talent managerDee Dee Bridgewater Veronica Legrand, a middle-aged, African-American talent managerCherise Adams-Burnett Jilly Radford, a young, African-American photographerJeff Ward Foley artist/announcerGuy Barker conductor/arranger
A “big blind” is a poker term that
describes a bet you have to make when you don’t know what the cards will show. The Big Blind, performed for it’s UK
debut at Queen Elizabeth Hall in the Southbank Centre, is based loosely on the
true story of Chicago jazz singer Joe E. Lewis who found out the hard way what
kind of trouble the music business could get him into.
The musical follows the career of
up-and-coming jazz singer Jack Lewis who ends up getting caught in a tug-of-war
between two crooked managers. Things get ugly and Jack gets hurt, his voice suffering
in the cruel attack. After hitting rock bottom, he seeks the help of his young
ingénue and finds a way to recover and express himself.

After meeting Guy Barker while working on another song project, Elling realised he
would finally be able to turn his concept into a reality with the help of
Barker and his songwriting partner Phil
Galdston. The inaugural
production was performed at Lincoln Center in New York last year with a smaller
orchestra but this production would feature the entire (65 musicians listed in
the program) BBC Concert Orchestra.



About Lauren Bush:
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All My Treasures
You can listen to the album here.
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Solid Debut ★★★1/2 stars ~Downbeat Magazine
Supremely Confident Vocalist, A mature and very experienced artist...
★★★★1/2 stars ~All About Jazz
Top 5 Finalist Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition 2016.
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