JAZZ from the Great American Songbook can be heard when Elaine Davies sings and plays in Bridport.

Elaine is also a multi-instrumentalist, playing saxophone, flute and clarinet, and the audience will be able to experience all of these at the Bridport Arts Centre Jazz Café on Friday April 7.

Jazz café impresario Philip Clouts will play the piano to accompany Elaine.

She appeared on prime time TV during the many years that she was with the Midland Youth Jazz Orchestra, and when she eventually moved to Devon she played in the Algy Davies Quartet, supporting many visiting national jazz musicians.

Elaine, who hails from the West Midlands, is the musical director of the Carlton Big Band and the Carlton Swing Band. She also has her own jazz quartet, is a woodwind teacher in Devon, and a jazz educator. She plays the lead tenor saxophone in both bands as well as being a vocalist in the band.

She started playing piano at the age of seven, clarinet at 11, and saxophone since she was 15, then the flute at 18. She is also a classically trained singer, and joined Opera South West when she came to the West Country, enjoying playing such prestigious leading roles such as Bizet’s ‘Carmen’ at Buckland AbbeyInstead of touring with the Ivy Benson Band, she chose instead to come to Plymouth to take up a Head of Music teaching position. She first got the bug for jazz when she started doing jazz club gigs in Birmingham with her saxophone teacher, Mike Burney (Lead tenor saxophonist in Syd Lawrence Orchestra) while still at school. Having tuition from Don Rendell at Whirtley Hall, Sheffield, and master classes from Alan Wakeman and Stan Sultzman at Glamorgan College, Elaine soon became passionate about playing jazz. She was a member of the original Midland Youth Jazz Orchestra for many years, on lead tenor, making an album with Kenny Baker and the band, and appearing on prime time TV with MYJO.

Since moving to Plymouth, she met her first husband Algy Davies at a jazz club. He was a superb jazz trombonist and Elaine played saxophone and flute in the Algy Davies Sextet, which often featured stars such as Don Rendell, Dick Pearce, Harry Beckett and Bobby Wellins. Elaine has played with many other bands such as Tour De Force, Joey The Lips, Soul Station and various jazz bands, and supports the Cavitron Fund by playing saxophone at their Fundraising Luncheons. She is kept busy being a bandleader and saxophonist, and teaching woodwind instruments in schools.

*Elaine Davies, Jazz Cafe, Bridport Arts Centre, Friday April 7, 8pm. Call the box office for tickets.