Our DIVA show is a Jazz, Soul and R&B extravaganza this month featuring the breathtaking vocal talents of BBC1's The Voice star Leo Ihenacho, Natasha Watts, Lily Dior and Paul Hazel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leo Ihenacho

Being well-known for starring last year on BBC1's The Voice, Leo is a singer, songwriter and actor who achieved critical acclaim and widespread success as part of The Streets, with Mike Skinner. Leo first tasted UK chart success when The Streets single 'Dry Your Eyes' reached the Number 1 spot on the singles chart in 2004. Leo's subsequent contributions to the Number One selling albums 'A Grand Don't Come For Free' and 'The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living' secured his credibility amongst media and peers, culminating in a BRIT Awards appearance in 2006 alongside Mike. During his time in The Streets, Leo performed to adoring fans around the globe on sell-out tours, as well as headlining V Festival and Reading Festival.

 

Natasha Watts

2014 saw the arrival of Natasha’s debut eponymous album. This album prior to release had three No.1s, they were: “Go Slow”

, “Born A Star” and “Change”. All three of which were played countlessly in the Soul scene. She has featured on numerous tracks, supporting acts such as: Lisa Stansfield, Candi Staton, Archie Bell, Kurtis Blow, Glen Jones and George McCrae, to name but a few. Topping off the end of the year with a much anticipated collaboration with DJ Spen, on his critically acclaimed album “Transition” on the track entitled “I know”, which looks to be a classic for 2015.

“We don’t have that many female vocalists worth shouting about here in the UK, but Miss Watts is certainly one worth making a noise about” - soulm8 online Feb 2014

 

Lily Dior

Recognised as one of Australia’s finest singers, Lily Dior has shared the stage with a remarkable list of outstanding musicians from Australia and around the world and has performed at many of Australia's best venues including The Opera House Concert Hall, The State Theatre, Sydney Town Hall and The Domain. A finalist at The National Jazz Awards she is also an experienced radio personality and host of The Freedman Fellowship Jazz Awards. The daughter of professional musicians who met and married in London, Lily spent her first five years touring the world with her parents before they settled in Australia.

Discovered by the late great Jackie Orszaczky as a teenager, performing a show she wrote and produced on the life of Billie Holiday, Lily became a seminal member of Sydney’s hottest Soul/Funk outfit, ‘The Godmothers’, wowing audiences with her electric stage presence and powerful voice.
“If you see only one local band this year, make sure you catch this shimmering and wonderful soul funk act” (Bruce Elder, SMH)

Her debut album ‘Invitation’ released by the ABC, received universal praise and put Lily firmly on the Australian music map. "She can belt out a song, dramatize a lyric, swing hard and earthy, flirt, sing a tender song - Lily can 'tell a story'." (Jim McLeod, ABC). Lily has performed at major festivals including Sydney Festival, Melbourne International Arts Festival, Wellington International Jazz Festival, Adelaide Cabaret Festival, Bellingen Jazz Festival, Christchurch Jazz Festival, Thredbo Jazz Festival, Darling Harbour Jazz Festival, Jazz in The Vines, Jazz in The Gardens and the Wangaratta Festival of Jazz where she placed second at The National Jazz Awards led by a panel of international judges including Kurt Elling, Laurence Hobgood, and Sheila Jordan.

Awarded a grant in 2000, Lily traveled to New York to study with jazz legend Mark Murphy, and was invited to perform at one of his rare appearances. That same year, she was singled out by legendary arranger/pianist Dave Matthews to perform with The Manhattan Jazz Quintet, which included Bill Evans, Charnett Moffatt, Victor Lewis, and Lew Soloff, at Sydney Casino’s Lyric Theatre.

Invited to sing with Brazilian guitarist Oscar Castro Neves and his all star band for ‘Noite Brasil’ at Sydney’s Jazz in the Domain, Lily performed to an audience of 100,000 people with some of the world’s greatest jazz and latin artists including Airto Moriera, Alex Acuna, Abraham Laboriel, Don Grusin and Gary Meeks. “Lily Dior has never sounded better than she did joining the magic for How Insensitive and, later in the  night, Dindi, a charming duet with Castro Neves’s nylon string guitar.” (John Shand, SMH)

Lily has built a solid reputation overseas with performances in New York, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, Shanghai and Hong Kong and has shared the stage with a who’s who of world-class musicians including Paul Grabowsky; Mark Isaacs; Dale Barlow; Mike Nock; Guy Strazzulo; Alister Spence; Kate Cebrano; D.I.G; The Mighty Reapers; The Bays (UK); and James Morrison. She’s been featured on TV and Radio programs including ABC’s ‘The Pulse’, the James O’Lochlan Show; ABC’s Arts program; as well as live performance broadcasts for the ABC and Eastside Radio.

Paul Hazel

Originally from Sheffield, Paul trained at the renowned Italia Conti Academy of Performing Arts before embarking on a successful West End career.

From starting professional life as a lead vocalist on one of the worlds largest cruise ships, Royal Caribbean’s' "Sovereign of the Seas”, Paul has appeared in the West End in "You can do it", “Desperately Seeking Susan”, “Avenue Q”, “Dancing In The Streets”, “Grand Hotel”,  “The Rat Pack”, “Ain’t Misbehavin”, “Times Up”, “Five Guys Named Moe”, “The Lion King.

He has also appeared in a wide variety of other stage performances in the UK and worldwide including Puttin on the Ritz UK tour, Hooray for Hollywood China Tour, the world premiere of "Carnaby street the musical", "Pattie shop diaries", “Annie” “Christmas Crooners” ”Starlight Express”, “Sweet Charity”, “A Chorus Line”, “Blues in the Night”, “Legends Of Swing”, “Itsy Bitsy Spider”, “The Ratpack Party”, “Around The World In 80 Days”, “My One And Only”, “Habeus Corpus”, “Funkenstein”, “Mas Caribe”, Shakespeare's “A Midsummer Nights Dream” and “The Tempest” blue mountains production of “We shall over come” and “Sandi toksvig’s Christmas cracker” at the Southbank

On TV, Paul has appeared on Sky Arts in Sandi toksvig's christmas cracker, "The Multicultural Achievement Awards", "The Bill" (BBC), "The Richard Whiteley Show", "Richard and Judy" and "Blue Peter", JML infomercial. His radio credits include “The Secret Tapes Of Murdoch Road”, and “Which Way, Nowhere” (both for BBC Radio).

Paul’s album "The Unexpected Paul Hazel" – available on Amazon and I tunes is a collection of 12 original jazz songs. His Cabaret has seen him perform at some of London”s most prestigious venues including Ronnie Scott’s, The Pheasantry, Pizza on the park, Battersea Barge, The Grosvenor and Dorchester Hotel and the Cellar door

Band Line-Up:

Janette Mason - Keys/MD

Phil Mulford - Bass

Pat Levett - Drums

Dave Ital - Guitar

Janette Mason - Musical Director & Piano

Janette Mason is by now a familiar face at Hideaway. She took on the role of resident Musical Director in 2012 and has been producing an eclectic array of shows from Bond to Bowie and Beyond. Her skills as a composer and arranger can be heard on her 2010 Trio CD ‘Alien Left Hand’ which was nominated for a Parliamentary Jazz Award and on the soundtrack to ‘Ruby Blue’ an award winning independent film starring Bob Hoskins. As a keyboard player she has worked with Oasis, Seal,Pulp and Robert Wyatt as well as the cream of the UK’s jazz performers including Clare Martin, Ian Shaw, and Clare Teal.

“A band leader of pugnacious flair and genuine unpredictability.” James Griffiths, The Guardian