Barb Jungr Loves
Jaques Brel
Bob Dylan
Nina Simone
Odetta
Elvis Presley
Sam Cooke
Marvin Gaye
Otis Redding
Dinah Washington
Jackie Wilson
Mahalia Jackson
The Golden Gate Quartet
The Fairfield Four
Maria Callas
The Four Tops
The Temptations
Etta James
Diamanda Galas
UB40
Ali Farka Toure
Big Joe Turner
Mavis Staples and the Staples Singers
Ray Davies
Scott Walker
Rance Allen
The Blind Boys of Alabama
Eric Bibb
Buddy Holly
Amy Winehouse
John Coltrane
Letter From Pimlico, July 2008
It's the day after the wonderful evening we shared at The Bloomsbury Theatre celebrating our friend and my long time and now sadly passed accompanist, Russell Churney, and its been an emotional roller coaster of a few weeks leading to here.
Thank the lord the sun was shining today and I lay in Battersea Park beside the Peace Pagoda soaking up the rays and regaining some kind of balance.
The joy of arranging something like last Sunday’s concert is the hidden surprises, which for me have been finding a new friend in Dillie Keane, Fascinating Aida’s supreme and a great woman all round.
We worked together like a breeze through the trees and so many things just happened joyously and effortlessly. Julian was free and could compere – because we couldn’t have made the show without him, and he also added a dvd presentation which he made with Helen Jackson and with which we closed the first half of the show with edited highlights of Russell playing and in the many recorded Julian shows, which was hilarious and moving and wonderful all at once.
Sandi Toksvig did a hat auction – now this was Dillie’s idea and I have to admit when it was mooted I was sceptical, but hey – how wrong can you be? Apart from the auction raising another squillion of shillings to our pile for the charities, it was hilarious, and revealed Sandi as the fabulous, warm, and seriously funny woman that she is.
Every single person we approached to be in the show was free and able to do it, so the bill was a monster occasion of Russell’s collaborators meeting in the shared dressing rooms and having a total ball.
The cast included Sue Kelvin doing her Sophy Tucker material – now Sue is the the best Mama Morton the Chicago cast has ever had in London, so she brought the house down as you’d imagine. There was Tina C, being absolutely brilliant with a knockout version of ‘9 to 5’, Liz Mansfield sang a gorgeous ‘Boy I Love is Up in the Gallery’, Howard Samuels with Anne Marie on piano was a tower house of energy, Dolly Diamond brought the biggest dress and wig to the stage, Des De Moor sang The Bewley Brothers from his and Russell’s ‘Darkness and Disgrace’ show, Robb Johnson sang a moving ‘Don’t Close The Bar’, Dillie, Adele and Lisa tore the roof off with ‘Tesco Saves’ (which Russell co-wrote), Mari Wilson brought her angel’s voice to ‘I Close My Eyes’ with Adrian York on piano, Sarah Travis accompanied Julian on ‘Wandering Star’, Buffy Davis and Abi Grant spoke very beautifully about Russell, I sang ‘Au Depart’ and we all sang that Beatles classic ‘With a Little Help From My Friends’ together at the end.
There was Kuljit Bhamra’s virtuosic, brilliant percussion solo at the beginning of act 2 and before the dvd a return to the London stage of the legendary Haddocks. I saw people roll in the aisles as Hubert and Hilary Haddock took some fish fingers and sprats and gave their all in an extraordinary fish and fire fantasy. Sadly the hall wasn’t cleared for fire eating so the Haddocks instead performed with all the props but not the fire, in what must be one of the most hilarious acts anyone had ever seen.
One of the most fabulous elements of the evening was the participation of Russell’s sister, Sophia, who spoke and sang a song she’d learned from Russell, and who shared her heart with us.
The technical staff all volunteered themselves and so we had the best crew, backstage and front of house managers you could possibly imagine, because all of them had worked with Russell and with us before, the love in the theatre was palpable long before the audience arrived.
Backstage food came courtesy of Dillie’s friends, and Erika’s chums sold programmes and shook buckets for the collection at the end of the evening. Everyone was marvellous.
And the audience – what can I say except they – you, were wonderful. So giving – it was a long show, we began around 5 pm and didn’t finish until 8.40 – so it wasn’t a short event by any means, but we could have gone on all night, the responses to every single act were tremendous, and the atmosphere – could we have bottled it – was priceless.
So if you didn’t come, I’m sorry we missed you but there’ll be pictures taken by the wonderful Garry Laybourn up on flickr and his site and on my sites and Julian is putting the Russell dvd up onto his site so you can share that there. There’s also be stuff up on Dillie and FA’s site.
And I hope I’ll see you soon at either the Almieda on July 22nd or at the Edinburgh Festival on 6th and 7th of August.
Till then, Om Shante,
Barb
Spring and Summer News 2008
LIVE NEWS
Barb returns to Islington’s Almeida Theatre in July, the 22nd (after her sellout Bob Dylan show there last year) – celebrating for the first time in a years her chansons material from her first ever Linn recording. Featuring new translations of Jacques Brel, Leo Ferre, plus Prevert and of course her beloved Bob Dylan, Barb is thrilled to sing this powerful repertoire again accompanied by the wonderful Jenny Carr and Jessica Lauren.
In August Barb premiers her highly acclaimed new Nina Simone show at the Edinburgh Festival with a 2 night return to the Assembly Queen’s Hall. And in between she plays all over the country – don’t miss the UK’s foremost song stylist at a venue near you – check live dates for information.
September sees Barb performing a new show for the USA in a 3 weekend residency at her favourite New York venue, The Metropolitan Room. ‘I Got Life’ will feature the repertoire of Nina Simone.
BARB wins 2008 Nightlife Award in NEW YORK
2008 started with a bang when Barb won the Nightlife Award for Outstanding Cabaret Vocalist. The only broad-based, critic-driven award show for Nightlife in New York, the Nightlife Awards celebrates the best performances in cabaret, comedy, and jazz, the winners chosen by a total of four different panels representing nearly thirty critics from across the city. Barb will appear at the winners concert on January 28th at The Town Hall in Manhattan.
NEW RECORD NEWS
2008 brought the release of Jungr’s new CD and 6th recording for Linn Records, ‘Just Like A Woman – Hymn to Nina’ (AKD 309). The album has had fantastic 4 star reviews “unashamedly dark’” (The Sunday Tines) and was ‘Album of the Week ‘ in the Independent with Tim Cummings saying “classy doesn’t even begin to sum it up”. Featuring songs originally sung by Nina Simone and recorded with a stunning group of musicians including pianist and Barb’s MD Jenny Carr, organist and multi instrumentalist Jessica Lauren, drummer Johnny Lee, bassist Danny Thompson and saxophonist and clarinetist Mark Lockheart. The album was produced by Barb and legendary Blue Nile producer, Calum Malcolm.
Order and downloaded directly from Linn records on www.linnrecords.com.
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Sounds Like
Cheek2cheek productions presents a live performance by Barb Jungr, from a film to be released in the autumn. Barb sings 'Beautiful Life' at the Blue Hours, New Greenham Arts. Lyrics by Barb Jungr. Music by Adrian York. Accompanied by Jenny Carr - Piano and Jessica Lauren - Organ. Backing vocals by Jenny and Jessica.
Fabulous UK chanteuse Barb Jungr performing her version of Bob Dylan's Like A Rolling Stone accompanied by Adrian York in front of a sell-out audience at London's Barbican Hall.
Fabulous UK chanteuse Barb Jungr performing her version of Bob Dylan's If Not For You accompanied by Adrian York in front of a sell-out audience at London's Barbican Hall.
"Bob Dylan, jazz, northern soul, Nina Simone and continental Europe's cabaret music perform a subtle dance in singer Jungr's consciousness..." The Guardian
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NEWS FLASH
Barb has given a free podcast about the new album and her love of Nina Simone. Copy the link below and paste it into your browser, or go to www.linnrecords.com to hear the full podcast:
Barb's amazing new album,"Just Like A Woman, Hymn To Nina", is now available to download either as individual tracks or as a an entire album at linn records. Please click on the link below to hear clips and to download.
**** Barb Jungr 'Just like a woman - hymn to Nina (The Independent) March 7, 2008
"A vocal stylist acclaimed for her interpretations of Jacques Brel and Bob Dylan, Barb Jungr here turns her attention to Nina Simone, with an album drawn from the late pianist's repertoire. The most striking pieces may be the medleys with which Jungr brings a trad-folk tone to particularly the seamless seguing of 'One Morning in May' with the old Steppenwolf drug song 'The Pusher'....her 'Ballad of Hollis Brown', with the delicate madness of the piano part evoking the protagonist's descent into despair, is much more effective. It's all brought to a close with a rousing, exultant blues arrangement of 'Feeling Good' that pays true homage to Nina's feisty spirit. (Andy Gill)
Album of the Week - Barb Jungr ‘Just Like A Woman (Hymn to Nina)’, The Independent, 22.3.2008
Barb Jungr sold out a week of gigs at Ronnie Scott’s to launch this album of songs associated with Nina Simone. Her previous albums have made her the foremost interpreter of Bob Dylan’s back catalogue around, and there’s a trio of Zimmerman classics here, alongside ‘Llilac Wine’ and a wonderful, breathy ‘Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood’. Classy doesn’t begin to sum it up.
(Tim Cumming)
****Barb Jungr ‘Just Like A Woman (Hymn to Nina)’, Record Collector, May 2008,
Finally, look out for Just Like A Woman (Hymn To Nina), a fabulous new album by BARB JUNGR, a Rochdale-born chanteuse with both Czech and German roots, who’s built her reputation as an interpreter of French chansons. Intended as an homage to Nina Simone, the 11-track CD finds Jungr offering radical and boldly imaginative reinventions of the Simone favourites Feeling Good and Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood, plus a compelling, almost incantatory medley of One Morning In May and The Pusher.
Jazzwise May 2008
Nowadays fewer singers do it than before, maybe because it's not simple (certainly not as simple as some people might make it out to be). We're speaking about thematically linked song programmes, as here. The small print explains, "all songs previously recorded by Nina Simone" though I admit to Simone singing The Pusher never having lodged in my cranium. Like Scarlett O' (Seeboldt) in Germany, Barb Jungr has developed the knack of creating cohesive and coherent song cycles. "Just Like a Woman" has Nina Simone's repertoire as its backbone but it is Jungr and the team that add new sinew, muscle and grey matter to what could have been easily turned into a posy of Nina nosegays.
For many Simone's piebald-varied repertoire will be the stuff of association - love affairs, flings, lives and deaths. Maybe that's why the absence of such relatively obscure, yet, for me, core material such as Randy Newman's Baltimore or Judy Collins' My Father isn't an issue (though My Father would have slotted in beautifully). Jungr's phrasing and ability to slide across end rhymes in to the next line are the stuff of revelation. Likewise, what music director Jenny Carr's figurative baton achieves. Danny Thompson's skeletal bass on Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood could be being played on, to summon an image from European folklore, wailing strings woven from human hair. The snare drum sound on Black is the Colour and the swirling Al Kooper-style organ on Break Down And Let It All Out are splendid. The only track here that leaves me out in the cold rain and snow is the jaunty over-interpretation of Feeling Good. Simone's arrangement was a slow fuse explosion; this very different approach sounds like one more whisky with a Prozac chaser on a charabanc sing-along. That quibble aside "Just Like a Woman" works both as an artistic statement and an artistic unity.
Barb Jungr - Just Like a Woman (hymn to Nina) - The Jazz Rag
07 May 2008
The Jazz Rag
Les Tomkins
After Claire Martin saluting Shirley Horn, we have Barb Jungr saluting Nina Simone. In both cases, the voices and the approach are very different from those of their subjects of homage. In Barb Jungr's case, there is a strong common factor - both she and Nina Simone can be termed great entertainers, performers and interpreters. Likewise, I have to wonder whether the word "jazz" is fully applicable to what we hear. The point of departure, for me, is that Barb appeals to my palate much more than Nina ever did. To each his own.
Although Rochdale-born Barb has been active in cabaret-type areas for some years, I was not awakened to her talent till I heard her 2002 album "Every Grain of Sand" - her highly individual takes on Bob Dylan songs, which I found inspirational. Her subsequent CDs have tended to include Dylan compositions, as does this one, with three that Nina "covered" as they say.
As ever, she has collaborated with some of our finest players for these fiery or tender expositions of Simone-sung stuff. The excellent Jenny Carr directs and is on piano; she also is part of the frequent backing voices, along with Barb and Jessica Lauren, who contributes organ, harmonica and assorted other sounds to the mix. Johnny Lee has a wide range of drum beats including military-style to supply. Add the veteran bassman Danny Thompson and some very effective spots of tenor and soprano from Mark Lockheart, and you have ingredients for a constantly-gripping programme.
It's hard to specify highlights, but the perfect power of the title track and the measured menace of Lilac Wine are certainly among them. I also like the way Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood builds steadily to an extended ending, and the rocking lilt of To Love Somebody. A song I've had adverse reactions to in the past is Bricusse/Newley's Feeling Good, but the sheer infectious exuberance of this version wins me over totally. Certainly Ms Jungr is adept in transforming her chosen themes into things of her own, so that can be said to justify her rating as a jazz singer.
Barb Jungr ‘Just Like A Woman (Hymn to Nina)’, Bluesart.at APRIL 2008
Barb Jungr is a UK based singer if Czech and German parentage who is renowned in the UK for her treatment of songs as songs, sometimes with jazz or blues inflections, sometimes not. What more natural then she should dedicate a set to songs associated with another unclassifiable but highly talented and respected singer, Nina Simone? So, Barb tackles the likes of folk songs, Bob Dylan numbers, the Bee Gee’s beautiful ‘To Love Somebody’ (also recorded by James Carr), ‘Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood’ – known to many from the Yardbirds, I would hazard a guess – and the sublime reworking of ‘Angel of The Morning’, and she makes each her own whilst maintaining the homage. Backing is courtesy of a stellar group drawn from the UK jazz scene, rounding off what is indeed a very classy package – and by no stretch of the imagination is this a jazz album, or a blues recording come to that. Having written that though, ‘Feeling Good’ does have all the enthusiasm and excitement of a sixties beat group performance. But try the reggae-inflected rendition of Dylan’s ‘Just Like A Woman’ for something different – or just try any of the eleven tracks.
Too often tributes are over-respectful and over-reverent, but Barb certainly sounds as though she is enjoying herself and I doubt Ms Simone would have been too impressed with a straight copy of any of her numbers. As a result, Nina’s fans will be delighted with this joyous set, as no doubt will Barb’s, too.
(Norman Darwen)
***Barb Jungr ‘Just Like A Woman (Hymn to Nina)’, London Evening Standard, 14.3.2008
Barb Jungr is neither jazz diva nor blues belter, but she does have a compelling way of injecting truth into a song. Her performance power rescued an awkward evening with Mark-Anthony Turnage and the London Sinfonietta last summer, and here it lends a new dimension to the emotionally charged songs of Nina Simone. Backed by a quintet featuring Mark Lockheart’s subdued tenor sax and the keyboards of Jenny Carr and Jessica Lauren, Barb gives each lyric time to sink in. She makes familiar songs, including Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood and the title track, sound very different.
(Jack Massaryk)
***Barb Jungr ‘Just Like A Woman (Hymn to Nina)’, The Times, 22.3.2008
This song-stylist has built a following with her takes on Bob Dylan and Jacques Brel. Now she interprets imaginative arrangements of tunes associated with Nina Simone. That means Just Like A Woman as jaunty lover rock and an Africanised Ballad of Hollis Brown with thumb piano. But Jungr, with her light, clear tones, has set herself a tough task emulating the charisma and dark drama of Simone. When Jungr sings that druggie lament The Pusher you don’t quite believe that she has plumbed the depths. The straight pop joy of Feeling Good and the gospel swirl of To Love Somebody convince more.
(John Bungey) =
“The kind of voice that many more should get around to hearing.” (Fred Dellar – MOJO)
Just Like A Woman is Barb Jungr’s hymn to the late, great Nina Simone. This beautiful, haunting and reflective album comprises eleven songs famously interpreted by Nina Simone. For the recording, Barb surrounded herself with some of the UK’s finest musicians, including Danny Thompson on bass and Mark Lockheart on saxophone and clarinets. The songs are beautifully arranged and are performed throughout with élan and a moving lightness of touch.
Album personnel:
Jenny Carr (piano & backing vocals)
Jessica Lauren (organ, harmonicas, autoharp, mbira and backing vocals)
Danny Thompson (bass)
Johnny Lee (drums and percussion)
Mark Lockheart (saxophones and clarinets)
Barb Jungr (vocals)
Described as “one of the best interpreters of Jacques Brel and Bob Dylan anywhere on this angst-ridden planet” (David Finkle, Village Voice – NY), the iconoclastic song stylist Barb Jungr is quietly revered in the UK but her seismic talent is still vastly underexposed in her native Britain. Last September she captivated Australia during a seven-city tour that earned rave reviews and solidified her reputation there as a major artist. Barb is also going down a storm on the other side of the Atlantic and is about to return to the Big Apple for a full week of shows in January 2008. In fact, news has just come in that Barb has won the Nightlife Award for Outstanding Cabaret Vocalist – the Nightlife Awards is the only broad-based, critic-driven award show for nightlife in New York.
The release of Just Like A Woman looks set to bring Barb the greater recognition that she so rightly deserves in the UK. The album will be supported by an extensive UK tour spanning January through April 2008 and will kick off with a special 3-night launch at London’s Ronnie Scott’s. At Ronnie’s Barb will be backed by a 5-piece band, comprising her regular players Jenny Carr and Jessica Lauren who will be joined by Darren Farrugia (drums and percussion), Neville Malcolm (bass) and Mark Lockheart (saxophones and clarinets).
With Jungr’s pure, quirky, powerful voice to guide you, you’ll find a depth in these songs never previously imagined. (Kerstan Mackness, Time Out)
BARB JUNGR
JUST LIKE A WOMAN (AKD309)
12TH MARCH 2008
LINN RECORDS
For promo CDs/interviews/photos etc. please contact
Dorothy Howe
Tel: 020 8995 3920 Email: press@dorothyhowe.co.uk
Barb Jungr – Just Like A Woman
Album Tracklisting:
1. Black is the Colour/Break Down and Let it All Out
2. Just Like a Woman
3. Lilac Wine
4. Times They Are a Changing
5. Angel of the Morning
6. Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
7. Keeper of the Flame
8. To Love Somebody
9. One Morning in May/The Pusher
10. Ballad of Hollis Brown
11. Feeling Good
With rave reviews internationally and two New York awards (2008 Nightlife Award for Outstanding Cabaret Vocalist and Best International Artist 2003 Backstage Award), Barb Jungr is renowned for her unique vocal style, approach to arrangements and interpretation of song. Her acclaimed releases on Linn Records and performances have brought her to the world stage and revealed her to be one of Europe's most exciting voices.
Currently touring the UK with a repertoire of songs recorded by Nina Simone, Linn Records now release her new recording, "Just Like A Woman (hymn To Nina)" (Linn AKD309). The tour began in January with a sellout season at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club and the album will be officially launched at The Shaw Theatre, London in March.
Critics have compared Jungr to Nina Simone and Peggy Lee, called her "a British Edith Piaf" and "one of the best interpreters of Jacques Brel and Bob Dylan anywhere on this angst ridden planet today" (Village Voice, New York).
In 2007, she appeared at The Queen Elizabeth Hall in collaboration with the composer Mark Anthony Turnage in "About Water", which was written specifically for her voice. In 2005/6 Jungr appeared on BBC television performing at the Tribute to Bob Dylan Concert alongside Odetta, KT Tunstall and Billy Bragg. In July 2006, she was featured on a BBC One documentary Queens of Heartache - a programme about iconic female singers.
Rochdale-born and Stockport-bred, Jungr's passionate singing and extraordinary song styling has its roots in northern soul, opera and jazz - the music that informed her early years.
In the 1980s she was part of the ‘alternative cabaret' circuit performing and recording with the cult vocal harmony group The Three Courgettes. Subsequently she enjoyed a 12 year song-writing and musical partnership with blues guitarist and songwriter Michael Parker. Together, they released six albums and worked extensively on tour, radio and television with, among others, Julian Clary and Alexei Sayle.
During the early 1990s Jungr created the award winning harmony show "Hell Bent Heaven Bound" but her solo career began in earnest after she recorded "Bare" in 1999 on Irregular Records. This recording brought her to the attention of Linn Records, with whom she has now recorded six albums. Her own self-penned material also features on certain albums.
Since appearing in New York in 2002, Jungr regularly performs in the United States - especially in New York where she has a loyal following. Australia has proved an equally successful territory as illustrated by a sell-out residency at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival in summer 2006, followed by an 11 date nationwide tour in 2007 further underlining her fast-growing global reputation as a leading song-stylist.
With Mari Wilson and label-mate Claire Martin she created the sell-out cabaret show "Girl Talk" whose album (Linn AKD 279) was released and launched at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London in 2006.
Jungr continues to write extensively and was the lyricist for Birmingham Stage Company's sellout version of The Jungle Book.
All Barb’s Linn recordings available as downloads - Linn records has all Barb’s recordings available as downloads in any of three formats. Check the brilliant new Linn site at www.linnrecords.com.
As well as purchasing all of Barb's Linn recordings direct from the Linn website, you can now listen to previews, download whole tracks and whole albums. Click the link below to see and hear more:
LINN RECORDS now has all Barb’s albums available as download. Check the new Linn site at www.linnrecords.com.
This page is run by Dylan Lancaster and Barb Jungr.
Screen shots of all Barb's solo albums can be seen in the photos section of this page. All the albums, except Bare, can be purchased on-line and in most record stores, especially HMV
More information will be posted as it becomes available.
www.barbjungr.com
www.linnrecords.com
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Barb is a proud supporter of Kiva.
Kiva.org allows individuals to make $25 loans to low-income entrepreneurs in the developing world (microfinance). By doing so, individuals provide affordable working capital for the poor (money to buy a sewing machine, livestock, etc.), empowering them to earn their way out of poverty.
It's a new, direct and sustainable way to fight global poverty.
And we can see exactly where our money goes too, which is a good thing.
