Junction Tales

Our jazz brunches with Jazz FM & One Jazz presenter Ruth Fisher have been delightful and fun affairs since our debut festival and this year’s brunch promises an extraordinary guest. Situated in the elegant Halsey Hall, located just across from Watford Town Hall, Ruth invites you to a special jazz brunch with the legendary Elaine Delmar, a singer and actress who’s imperishable voice has graced stages and recordings since the 1950s.

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The daughter of renowned trumpeter Leslie 'Jiver' Hutchinson, Elaine was raised in a world of music and forged an illustrious career, her adaptability in both the theatrical and musical environments, tempered by youthful years on the road and a lifetime of artistic endeavour. She starred in musicals such as ‘Bubbling Brown Sugar’, ‘Cowardy Custard’, and ‘Kern Goes to Hollywood’ on both London and Broadway stages, and received critical acclaim for her dramatic role in ‘A Map of the World’ at the National Theatre. Elaine also appeared in Ken Russell's ‘Mahler’.

 

As a vocalist, she has performed alongside Andy Williams, Michel Legrand, and the London Symphony Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall. Her touring shows, ‘Let’s Do It’ and ‘By George, It’s Gershwin’, celebrated the timeless music of Cole Porter and George Gershwin, respectively.

 

Elaine will perform songs from her extensive repertoire and share insights into her extraordinary career in conversation with Ruth. Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind musical experience!

 

More about Elaine

 

“Ageless, evergreen singing... as beautiful and talented as ever... she's marvellous!” Michael Parkinson, BBC Radio 2

 

Born in Harpenden, Hertfordshire on the literal eve of WW2, Elaine was surrounded by music from the get go. Her mother Phyliss and her father, the celebrated jazz trumpeter Leslie 'Jiver' Hutchinson, had both moved to the UK from Jamaica in the 1930s, ‘Jiver’ becoming an important influence in the jazz and dance band movement in Britain from the 1930s onwards. Elaine spent her childhood with her younger brother and sister living in North London, attending the Trinity Grammar School in Wood Green. Elaine began learning the piano when she was six, talented enough to play the instrument live on the radio during the BBC's Children's Hour when she was thirteen. At the age of sixteen, she began touring with her father, singing with his band at performances in venues such as US Air Force bases. They were on tour together when ‘Jiver’ was tragically killed in a road accident in 1959.

 

Aside from touring with her father, Elaine’s prodigious talents had seen her briefly joining  Coleridge Goode and Lauderic Caton’s quartet, The Dominoes in the mid-50s, earning her professional singing spurs on a month-long residency in Germany. Following this gig, Elaine launched her solo career, a courageous young black woman travelling solo and performing on the tough UK club circuit and on overseas tours, even finding herself supporting greats such as the legendary American saxophonist ‘Cannonball’ Adderley in 1962. Her theatrical debut had also taken place in the late 50s, Elaine taking on the role of ‘The Necessity Girl’ in a Sam Wanamaker production of the musical ‘Finian's Rainbow’ in Liverpool.

 

Elaine's recording career began in the early 60s, recording various albums for producer Denis Preston of Lansdowne Records, one of her early champions. The first was an EP titled ‘A Swinging Chick’ featuring the equally prodigious British jazzer Victor Feldman (a vibesman who turned down joining Miles Davis’ band!). Over the decades since, Elaine has released a number of albums, including the highly-collectible ‘Elaine Sings Wilder' and a double album entitled ‘Elaine Delmar and Friends’ featuring Tony Coe, Alan Branscombe, Eddie Thompson and Pat Smythe. Elaine's more recent recordings ’S’wonderful’, ‘Nobody Else But Me’ and ‘But Beautiful’ all feature Brian Dee, the much-respected jazz pianist and accompanist with whom Elaine worked with for over twenty years. Always carrying the same vitality and drive throughout her life, Elaine released a brand new album of gorgeous interpretations of evergreen songs, ‘Speak Low’ on Ubuntu Music in late 2024.

 

As a live performer, Elaine’s charisma, mastery of the stage and glorious voice has seen her entertain audiences in every setting. She has appeared in concert with Andy Williams and Michel Legrand (with the London Symphony Orchestra). She has been the star vocalist in touring shows ‘Let's Do It’ and ‘By George, It's Gershwin’. Her stellar appearances at Ronnie Scott’s have witnessed Elaine joining jazz giants Herb Ellis, Benny Carter and Stephane Grappelli onstage, and her cabaret performances have taken her around the globe on the QE2 and to more earthbound, though equally grand venues such as The Ritz Hotel in London.
 

The theatre has also been a constant in Elaine’s life. She performed in Richard Rodgers’ ‘No Strings’ at Her Majesty’s Theatre in the 60s and in the 70s, she appeared to great fanfare in the musicals ‘Cowardy Custard’ and had the starring role in the Harlem Renaissance musical "Bubbling Brown Sugar’. Elaine appeared in both the London and Broadway runs of the hit production ‘Kern Goes To Hollywood ‘ and was cast in a straight role in David Hare’s National Theatre production, ‘A Map of the World’, alongside Diana Quick and Bill Nighy. She has regularly appeared on TV and radio and featured in Ken Russell's film ‘Mahler’ as the Bohemian Princess.

 

In 2010, Elaine featured in a concert with Wynton Marsalis's Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. In 2013, Elaine received the All Party Parliamentary Jazz Group (APPJAC) Special Award For Jazz for outstanding contributions to jazz in the UK, and in July 2023, she deservedly won Vocalist of the Year 2023 at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards.