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Last Show: Sunday 21 ^st August 2022

The Pheasantry (Chelsea)

Join The Shout Sisters for a fabulous evening of music to celebrate the virtuosic musical arrangements of The Boswell Sisters, along with many other 1930s gems. Hailing from New Orleans, The Boswell Sisters were composers, arrangers and performers whose complex harmonies, scat rhythms and dizzying tempo changes dazzled the audiences of their time. The Shout Sisters are a London-based three-part vocal harmony group who, along with their band made up of London's most eminent jazz musicians, are dedicated to reviving and showcasing this brilliant music. Expect to hear songs like, It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing, Sit Right Down & Write Myself A Letter, Lullaby of Broadway, Bye Bye Blues, Everybody Loves My Baby, Cheek To Cheek, St Louis Blues and many more!

Named after The Boswell Sisters theme song "Shout Sister, Shout" - The Shout Sisters are a London-based three-part vocal harmony group, celebrating the music of The Boswell Sisters and other vintage gems from the early to mid 1930's.

The Shout Sisters were born when Louise Messenger (Australia) & Elise Roth (USA) moved to London in 2017. Brought together by a shared love of music and harmony, it didn't take long for them to start singing together. Bringing Noelle Davies-Brock (UK) into the picture was the next step in completing the line up, and the Shout Sisters were born.

Since then the trio have delved deeply into the music of the Boswell Sisters, and written many of their own arrangements for other tunes of the era. Accompanied by a bespoke group of London's finest early jazz musicians, as well as collaborating with Brighton's Swing Ninja's, they've entertained a wide variety of jazz fans and swing dancers alike.

So who were the Boswell Sisters?

Hailing from New Orleans, they began their career in the 1920's as children. Gifted musicians, their concerts included classical and jazz instrumentals, as well as harmonising popular songs and whistling. Martha played piano, Vet - violin, banjo and guitar, and Connee, paralysed from the waist down after a childhood bout of polio, played cello, saxophone and guitar.

Their tight harmonies - dotted with scat syllables and dizzying tempo & key changes quickly made them popular. They toured the Vaudeville circuit and moved to LA. When the offer came to co-host a show on CBS, New York with Bing Crosby, they didn't hesitate to accept. The sisters found worldwide success, recording and working with the jazz greats of the time and touring Europe.

The Boswell Sisters arrangements are complex and beautiful - harmonically years ahead of their time. Each song was stripped to its bare bones and reshaped. They overcame challenges to become an international success, and the primary source of inspiration for artists such as The Andrews Sisters, Ella Fitzgerald, Bette Midler and Judy Garland.

For tonight's concert, The Shout Sisters will be accompanied by John Kelly - Guitar, Ben Hazelton - Double Bass & Michael McQuaid - Reeds.

Band Line Up

Noelle Davies-Brock (vocals)
Elise Roth (vocals)
Louise Messenger (vocals)
John Kelly (guitar)
Ben Hazelton (double bass)
Michael McQuaid (reeds)