Ma Bessie And Her Blues Troupe

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Last Show: Wednesday 22 nd May 2019

PizzaExpress Live (Holborn)

Nicknamed the 'Empress of the Blues', Bessie Smith was the most popular female blues singer of the 1920s and 1930s. She is often regarded as one of the greatest singers of her era and was a major influence on other jazz singers. Ma Bessie and her Blues Troupe perform to a narrated show, featuring music from the era and showcasing many of Bessie's songs. The show chronicles her life from a one-room shack in Blue Goose Hollow, to becoming the highest-paid black entertainer of that time, to the tragic accident on Route 61 in September 1937 that ended her life aged 43 years. 

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"... there are not many singers around with Bessie's style and certainly few in this country. An exception is the larger than life and hugely talented Julia Titus"

Michael Eagleton, Marlow Jazz Club

Ma Bessie (Julia Titus) and her blues troupe (internationally acclaimed drummer, Sam Kelly with Musical Director, Paul Jobson on piano, Tony Qunta on acoustic guitar, Marianne Windham on upright bass, Clare Hirst on saxophone/clarinet and Kevin Davy/Claude Deppa on trumpet) perform to a narrated show, featuring music from the era and showcasing many of Bessie's songs.

Band Lineup

JULIA TITUS (vocals)

SAM KELLY (drums)

PAUL JOBSON (MD/piano)

TONY QUNTA (acoustic guitar)

MARIANNE WINDHAM (double bass)

CLARE HIRST (sax/clarinet)

CLAUDE DEPPA (trumpet)