All about Lizzy …
If it’s an in depth explanation of my life and career so far you’d better catch me after a gig with a good bottle of gin! (and if you came here from the myspace page you will have heard that before!)… but for those of you without the time or inclination, the basic story goes like this …
I’m a Devon lass who’s lived and loved music for as long as I can remember. Tooting the Clarinet and Saxophone from the age of 7 gave me my thirst for jazz, then after discovering my voice with the school big band during a rendition of Skylark aged 11 there was no stopping me!
I went on to study music in all sorts of places, from clubs to Conservatoires, and got my first taste of session work with Chris Bowden, performing Crockers and Killers on his Slightly Askew album for Ninja Tune back in 2001. After recording for various other artists I released my debut album Watching Space in 2005 with indie label, The Birds Recording Company.
After touring Europe with the ‘Nostalgia 77 Octet’ , I become part of the Tru Thoughts family with whom I’ve release my spanking new, deep orchestral soul/jazz album , Raise The Roof, co-written and produced with bass player Riaan Vosloo and Nostalga 77‘s Ben Lamdin.
I can mostly be found gigging in dens and dives all over the UK and Europe! I’ve got a habit of appearing on stage with my band, Nostalga 77 (Tru Thoughts) and The Heritage Orchestra (Brownswood) amongst others, and sometimes I spring up behind the odd DJ booth to entertain the club crowds my with my dulcet tones!
A jazzy lassy? A soulful bird? Call it what you like … lets just hope you like it!
Enjoy…
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To learn more…
Read this recent interview
with Lizzy
for the Richmond, Chiswick
& Twickenham Times…
Lizzy Parks Featured Interview By Will Gore (February 2010)…
Lizzy Parks escaped rainy London for the far sunnier climes of Cannes but the singer, who specialises in jazzy, soul-tinged tunes, is heading back to England to promote her latest album, This and That, with a gig at Chiswick’s George IV. She spoke to Will Gore.
How is France at this time of year?
10 degrees and generally sunny. You cant complain but as Brits we generally find a reason to! I moved here to have a break from the hussle and bussle of London life for a while. The pace of life is more laid back and when I feel less pressure I’m generally more pro-active anyway.
What have you got planned for the George IV gig?
I am bringing my acoustic live band. Although we’ve all played together before in various guises, its only the second time we’ve gigged with this line-up so it will be a real treat.
How would you describe your sound?
Laid back soul/jazz with some grooves!
Why have you decided to rework tracks from your 2008 album, Raise the Roof, for the new record?
The process of writing and recording Raise the Roof was quite epic. The instrumentation was vast and achieved a panoramic soundscape. We were really pleased with the finished product but felt the songs had lots of life left in them and could be reworked, so we decided to do an acoustic album featuring scaled-down arrangements.
What inspired the new tunes on the record?
I’m constantly working on new tracks, sometimes with a project in mind and sometimes just to keep momentum. The additional tracks on the album were songs I had knocking around and just seemed to fit perfectly with the rest of the material.
Is British jazz in a strong position at the moment?
It’s fair to say jazz is constantly developing. The boundaries get pushed further outwards and artists find new and interesting ways of reinventing themselves and selling their music in a climate where everything can be found on the web for free. I tend to keep my head down and get on with actually doing it instead of speculating.
Who/what inspired you to first get into music?
In the house I grew up in we had an old piano that no one really played but like any child I enjoyed making noise on it and my step-father gave me a clarinet when I was seven I then progressed to a tenor saxophone and I started learning the standard jazz repertoire, discovering the likes of Lester Young, Stan Getz and singers such as Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan. I loved the instrumental stuff but those gals kicked my ass with their voices and that is when I knew I was going to be singer!
First record you bought
Tragically, it was Take That’s first single, It Only Takes A Minute, Girl.
Song you wish you had written
Tough question. I just wish I could have been present at the writing of all great tunes! I wound’t have minded being stood next to Stevie Wonder when he started humming Sir Duke.
