Tonight at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. at the Fort Garry Hotel Club Room the TD Winnipeg International Jazz Festival and Jazz Winnipeg in collaboration with the Asper Foundation will be presenting the fabulous Winnipeg vocalist Nadia Douglas.
Called Tony Bennett: The Voice, this show as the title suggests, puts the music of Tony Bennett front and centre. This is part of a series of shows that Jazz Winnipeg has been holding during the festival that pays tribute to four legendary icons who have recently passed away. The others being Jeff Beck, Astrud Gilberto and Burt Bacharach.
Known for her smooth, captivating, gorgeous alto voice, Nadia Douglas has become a mainstay on the Winnipeg Jazz Scene, performing at all the major jazz venues around the city and with the likes of the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra, Ron Paley and Paul Balcain to name just a few.
Joining Douglas on stage will be some of Winnipeg’s finest musicians. Richard Boughton on piano, Paul Balcain and Ken Gold on saxophones, Bob Van den Broek on trumpet, Devon Gillingham on bass and Rob Siwik on drums.
For Douglas, the opportunity to sing Tony Bennett’s material is a fantastic opportunity. “Obviously, he is a brilliant vocalist," Douglas says. "Frank Sinatra said he is the best singer he’s ever heard . . . It’s not just the voice, it’s his style, it’s his flavour. The gentleman has the ‘it’ factor oozing out of every pore!”
Audiences can expect to hear down-the-line hits such as "I Left my Heart in San Fransico," and "Because of You," but also favourites of Douglas and her band’s Musical Director Richard Boughton. As Douglas states, “I think it is going to be a fabulously fun show. I hope everybody will get their fingers snappin’ . . . if they want to sing along, by all means, feel free!”
Douglas is a master interpreter of the classic American songbook. She often jokes that she was born in the wrong time period. Her beautifully, velvety voice joined by a killer band is sure to make for a wonderful evening of nostalgia that will get the audiences’ toes tappin’ and remembering the monumental legacy of a musical giant.
Tony Bennett: The Voice takes place on Wednesday, June 19 at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. at The Fort Garry Hotel Club Room. For more details visit the Jazz Winnipeg Website.
