Recognising Salena Jones’ Place in Musical History
On the 28th September at the prestigious Purcell Room, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Salena Jones will step on stage to perform a concert in celebration of her 70 years in the music industry – so today at Pop Playlister we are going to take a step back from our usual chart toppers to overview her life and times in the industry.
Born in Virginia, USA, Salena moved to New York at a young and, remarkably, by the age of 15 she had recorded as many albums as she had lived years. But following increasing racial tension in the US she moved to Europe in 1964. Throughout her career she met and worked with a number of the biggest names in jazz and beyond: Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, Wes Montgomery, Chico Hamilton and Stan Getz.
She worked as a session musician, recording guide tracks for Peggy Lee, Brenda Lee and Lena Horne. Following this she became a bill-topping act herself, with her backing band, The Blues Express Orchestra. One notable member of this band was her saxophonist, King Curtis (to whom she gave his nickname). Following her first visit to Japan in 1978, she became known throughout Asia as “The Queen of Jazz and Blues.” Her repertoire ranges from standards through to covers of all kinds of pop songs from the 60s to the present day. Her skill is as an interpreter, performer and story telling.
In terms of numbers her career is staggering: she has released 43 solo albums and 22 singles to date, she holds the record for singing at Ronnie Scott`s each night for seven consecutive weeks’ (the longest run by far) and still sells out the venue multiple times a year. From singing with Louis Armstrong to performances with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – Salena Jones has never taken a break from her impressive musical output and remains to this day an impressive vocalist:
In celebration of her career she will be performing at the Southbank in London – the city she has called home for a number of years and a fitting location for the celebration.
Friday 28th September 2018 The Purcell Room, Southbank, London SE1 8XX
