Jacqui Dankworth comes to Camberley Theatre on October 8, in a duet celebrating a century of jazz. Aliya al-Hassan digs into the unusual origins of her musical career
As the daughter of legendary singer Dame Cleo Laine and the late multi-award winning composer Sir John Dankworth, you could be forgiven for assuming that Jacqui Dankworth’s inspiration was her parents.
However, during a sometimes frenetic and peripatetic childhood, she says they were “just a normal mum and dad”. It's only now, as an adult, that she looks back and recognises them as “my greatest role models”.
Although these days she is best known for her highly versatile jazz tones, Jacqui trained as a serious actress after being dumbfounded by Dame Judi Dench's performance in A Comedy of Errors at Stratford East, when she was just twelve.
“I just knew I wanted to be an actress”, she laughs. "It was my passion. I only got into music because I married a guy who wanted to form a band.”
She is now one of the most highly regarded jazz performers in the world, and is often seen onstage with her husband, the acclaimed American blues and jazz keyboardist Charlie Wood. It has proved to be a stellar partnership, with their current show showcasing their new, as yet unnamed, album of legendary duets.
The album is a carefully considered collection of tracks that Jacqui calls “individual masterpieces”, such as First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, Foggy Day in London Town and Jacqui’s favourite, Autumn in New York.
“It’s a classic song, but it's a new song for me”, she explains. “I’ve never sung it before. There's a huge difference between just hearing a song, and knowing it so well it's in your blood. It's also a great song for highlighting Charlie’s high range, which is so beautiful.”
She is not short of praise for her husband’s talents. “Charlie is a great songwriter. He's written songs which will stand the test of time, and our voices sound absolutely brilliant together. It’s a win-win situation. I love working with him.”
Despite the entertainment industry's notorious ageism, Jacqui claims time has passed her by.
“I’m very aware there’s lots of young singers coming up – it keeps you on your toes. But in jazz, singers are like a good cheese or a good wine. They get better with age.”
Jacqui and Charlie bring Just Me Just You to Camberley Theatre on October 8.
Next year brings a much longer tour and new album, so there will be many more opportunities to see this uniquely talented performer.
