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Sarah Ellen Hughes

Biography
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Award-winning vocalist Sarah Ellen Hughes has established herself as a notable presence on the London jazz scene and beyond.

Sarah began her career with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra (NYJO), with whom she was lead vocalist from 2005-2008. Since then she has earned many accolades including winning the 2010 International Jazz Singing Competition, “Jazz Voices,” held in Lithuania. In 2011, she was selected as a semi-finalist for the Montreux Jazz Festival voice competition where she was lucky enough to perform in front of Quincy Jones. Quincy himself said “Great singing girl, keep doing what you’re doing.”

Sarah has appeared at many of the UK’s top jazz venues including Ronnie Scott’s, Pizza on the Park (where she held a residency for 8 months), 606 Club, Wakefield Jazz Club, and Marlborough Jazz Festival. In 2010, she was invited to participate in the London Jazz Festival “Vocal Summit,” where she was selected by Paul Pace -jazz programmer at Ronnie Scott’s - as one of three singers “whom I consider to be the best on the scene in terms of the vocal art, individuality, and the ability to move and entertain the audience.”

Championed by distinguished vocalists Claire Martin and Ian Shaw, Sarah’s first album “Darning the Dream” was released in 2010, to critical acclaim. The recording features some of the UK’s finest musicians including Jim Hart and Dave O’Higgins, plus two duets with Ian Shaw. It was selected as UK Jazz Radio’s “CD of the month” for a record three months running in early 2010. Sarah’s next album “The Story So Far” will be released in September 2011.

As well as singing, Sarah enjoys writing for one of Britain’s best jazz blogs, LondonJazz (www.londonjazz.blogspot.com). Additionally, her years with NYJO prepared her to set up her own big band: The Sarah Ellen Hughes Big Band, featuring an all-star line-up.

Sarah is the founder member of Sector7, which has been described by Ian Shaw as “Possibly the most exciting thing to happen to the London Jazz scene.” Sector7 is a sensational septet featuring jazz trio and four singers, and it can be heard here: www.sector7.org.uk.

The release of Sarah’s debut album was followed by a 24-date UK tour, and her 2011 release will be promoted with a 31-date UK tour.

Sarah’s busy gig calendar indicates her popularity and appeal as a significant British vocalist: “A talent to look out for” - Jazz Journal.