Junction Tales

Experience first-hand the unparalleled voice of Vanessa Haynes of Incognito as she celebrates the life and legacy of Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, with a thrilling 10-piece band!

 

Vanessa began her career as a backing vocalist for Van Morrison and Chaka Khan before stepping into the spotlight as the lead singer of British funk legends, Incognito. Alongside her superb band, she will be performing an unforgettable selection of Aretha classics from ‘Chain Of Fools’ and ‘Respect’ all the way through to ‘I Say A Little Prayer’ and ‘(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman’. With her deep gospel tones, it's easy to hear why the Evening Standard recently described Vanessa as a 'soulful powerhouse'.

 

Also on the bill will be emerging Watford funk and soul specialist Harry T Pope leading his pulsating 7-piece band. You may have been lucky enough to catch Harry performing at one of our previous Jazz Steps Sundays but this is the first time he will be presented on one of Watford's biggest stages.

 

With wrap-around DJ sets from One Jazz, the new 24/7 global online jazz radio network, we're going to have a party to remember. This gala show kicks off a week of sensational music as part of the Watford Jazz Junction Festival that runs across the town 10-18 May.

 

More about Vanessa

 

“Vanessa Haynes’ voice is nothing short of mesmerizing – soulful, powerful, and deeply moving. A standout talent.” UK Soul Review

 

Born and raised in Trinidad, Vanessa’s route to her current position as one of the UK’s finest soul and jazz singers was a time-honoured tale of natural talent, hard work and taking opportunities when they arose. Not in a position to afford formal musical training, it was the church where Vanessa’s fabulous vocals were honed. One grandmother was a singer in their church and her Dad was an enthusiastic amateur singer and a joiner, who actually built the bodies for stand up basses for a while. Listening at home to the more classical sounds of chamber orchestras or gospel, she had to sneak away to listen to secular music: a musical journey of discovery shared by many of the greatest Black soul and jazz singers of the last century up until now.

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Vanessa began to take small gigs in Trinidad, performing in bars and casinos before swiftly being recognised as a special talent. Approached to perform abroad in South East Asia, Vanessa took her chance.

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After this initial career boost, Vanessa moved to London in 2002, where she belatedly enjoyed some formal vocal lessons and began to work her way through the grades on piano.

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She released her solo album ‘Stay With Me’ in 2006 on the Change Of Weather Ltd label, an excellent contemporary soul record with gospel undertones that produced the singles ‘Embrace’ and ‘I Wonder’. It didn’t take long before Vanessa’s powerful, commanding voice and stage presence caught the ears of some of the best in the game. 2008 was her breakout year, beginning with the offer to become a backing vocalist for the legendary Van Morrison, with whom she toured the world with until late 2009. It was also in 2008 when she was invited to become a lead singer of the British jazz-funk titans Incognito, with a run of shows in Japan alongside the great Jocelyn Brown. Vanessa featured on the band’s ‘Transatlantic R.P.M.’ album in 2010 and has been a permanent member ever since.

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Vanessa’s growing popularity and fabulous voice saw her touring with Billy Ocean, Anastacia and Leon Ware separately in 2009, the Italian soul star Mario Biondi in 2010, and later on hitting the road with Chaka Khan on her 2012 UK and European tour, also joining Dave Stewart on tour the same year.

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When she is not on Incognito duties, Vanessa is an in-demand singer lending her soulful voice to releases by soul and dance producers Bah Samba, Mike Allin’s Diplomats Of Soul project and many more. She performs regularly at Ronnie Scott’s and with premium-tier orchestras including The Royal Philharmonic, The Halle, The BBC Concert Orchestra, The RTE Orchestra, and Guy Barker's Big Band as well as bringing down the house at the BBC Proms. Regularly touring as a solo artist, her Aretha Franklin show has become a must-have ticket and we are over the moon to have her opening this year’s festival!

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Main act line-up

Vanessa Haynes – vocals and Wurlitzer piano

Tom O'Grady – piano & Hammond

Tiago Coimbra – bass

Al Cherry – guitar

Martyn Kaine – drums

Sam Ewens – trumpet

Paul Booth – saxophone & flute

Mary Pearce – backing vocals

Chloe Du Pré  – backing vocals

Belle Erskine – backing vocals

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More about Harry

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Harry T Pope is a 23 year old independent artist from the village of Croxley Green, just outside of Watford.

 

He attended Rickmansworth School before studying music at King’s College London, where he excelled himself in both the musical and organisational fields. He was elected President of the Modern Music Society for the 2020-21 academic year, and was consequently selected to be the Musical Director for the Music Society’s flagship ensemble, the Modern Music Society Sinfonietta. Harry graduated from King’s College London in 2023 with a First-Class Honours degree in Music. During his time as a student, Harry also served as Musical Director for a number of university ensembles, including the King’s Jazz Society’s Big Band, King’s Opera, and King’s Musical Theatre. He led the King’s College Chorus for three consecutive years.

 

In 2022, Harry founded the Strand Arts Collective (SAC), an arts organisation based in Central London, offering performance opportunities and artistic exposure to performers and artists of all ages and levels of experience. Most recently, this included a performance of Handel’s Acis and Galatea at the university’s historic Anatomy Museum.

 

Originally forming his band at university for function gigs, his songwriting and compositional chops have developed in leaps and bounds as the band has grown into a versatile vehicle for Harry’s original songs and a wide range of covers. With eclectic influences from all genres, his music fuses catchy pop melodies with jazz harmony, rock energy, classical instrumentation, and soulful vocals. This approach is evident in the string of singles he has released since his debut E.P. including ‘Stay Away’ and ‘A Different Kind’.

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As a composer, Harry has written and scored music for a radio play and a number of short films. He works as a private and peripatetic teacher of electric guitar, bass guitar, piano, singing, drum kit, and theory.

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Support act line-up

Harry T Pope – vocals, keys, guitar

Sam Espín – guitar

Sasha Sumption – sax, backing vocals

Elyse Sakelaropoulos – trumpet/flugelhorn, backing vocals

Alex Borland – trombone, backing vocals

Alex Baker – drums

Lewis Mackay – bass