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Events

In the Moods-Cathy Brown

If there is one thing that I truly miss from living in the UK, I would have to say the variety of entertainment and choice of venues to suit the mood and musical tastes of so many.

I was delighted to hear about a local jazz singer Cathy Brown, who was performing at Moods in Monaco. I went along to meet her and to enjoy her show.

It was a Tuesday evening, and I was pleasantly surprised to see a great turnout of people who were most definitely enjoying the excellent performance.

Cathy Brown was supported by The Rosati Jazz Quintet and without a doubt, they were absolutely fantastic.

I spent 17 years as a DJ and presenter and working alongside many live bands and acts. I was certainly in my comfort zone in a venue that took me back to similar venues I worked in, in London.

Cathy performed some great tunes and with a definite style of her own; Fever, Over the Rainbow, Smile, Lady is a Tramp, were just a few of the classic jazz tracks we enjoyed.

During the break, I caught up with Cathy and this is what she told The Riviera Woman:

Cathy made her professional debut at the age of ten and it was thanks to her mother, a musician and composer, her father, actor, writer, director, singer and band manager, and her great grandfather a classical composer for introducing music into her life. Even with all these positive influences, there was never any pressure to join the business but for her passion in music and dance, she received great encouragement. It is a tough profession but her talent and true determination to succeed from such an early age, has allowed her to focus and live her dream.

I was keen to know if she felt the same as I did about the lack of music venues on the Riviera. This is what she told me:

"YES. Once upon a time this was a very active area for live performance of all kinds with shows in all the major towns bringing world class entertainment to the area. What remains is something of a pale shadow of former glory but times change & perhaps the wheel will turn. The efforts of people such as Dr Frère of the Conseil Générale des Alpes Maritimes need to be supported. They fund hundreds of free concerts by a huge variety of artists each summer who perform all over the region for Les Soirées Estivale. I'll be doing a series of concerts for them again this July with The Rosati Jazz Quintet "

Apart from her shows in local venues, Cathy has performed as far North as Greenland & down to the Marquesas Islands in Polynesia via South Korea & various parts of Europe. Indeed it brought her to the Riviera. She arrived about twenty years ago on a 3 month contract and the rest is history, as they say!

When she is not singing, Cathy teaches Yoga at Sunshine Yoga which is owned by Anette Shine who we feature here on The Riviera Woman. Cathy also enjoys the beautiful enviornment and the local cuisine.

I am always interested in knowing what performers inspire an artist:

"So many it's hard to know where to start. I grew up listening to great jazz ladies like Peggy Lee & Ella Fitzgerald but my musical taste is pretty eclectic. I love a melody & lyrics that mean something. Singers like KD Lang really know how to interpret a song so you feel it. That's what I try to do, communicate."

Most of Cathy's shows are private events but her next public performance will be at the Monte-Carlo Tennis Masters gala at the Sporting on 16th April. Other projects for the future is the release of a CD which should be out by the end of the year.

Listen to Cathy with The Rosati Jazz Quintet at Moods in Monaco

Thursday, 18 March 2010    Section: Events
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