Gospel and jazz to kick start the festive season at MLH

Allan Tate – a master of gospel and blues music is a very moving singer and virtuoso piano player who will give Thanksgiving Day at MLH a new meaning. Allan Tate started to play in churches across the US in places like New Orleans in the late ‘50s and stayed there up to the ‘60s.

He played for a while in duo with the legendary sister Rosetta Tharpe and he then moved to New York City, where he is based at present. His career took a new direction in 2011 with successful European concerts and festivals in France and Germany. Now MLH welcomes Allan Tate on 22 November at the Empire Ballroom. The dinner is priced at Rs. 4,000 nett.

Entertainment will also be provided by Sri Lanka’s much sought after all boy acapella group Voice Print. The Olivier Franc Jazz Ensemble and beautiful Gabrielle Jeanselme from France will accompany Allan Tate.

Gabrielle is a professional classical concert pianist and jazz singer. She completed her studies at the National Conservatory of Music of Lyon, France. Aside from performing regularly as a classical concert pianist, she developed skills as a jazz singer and is featured in both kinds of festivals and concert halls nowadays.

A well recognised artist in both worlds, she is a great admirer of Billie Holiday and she sings songs made popular by Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Nancy Wilson, Fats Waller, Louis Armstrong etc. She performs in prestigious Parisian jazz clubs like Le Petit Journal Montparnasse and Le Lionel Hampton Jazz Club at Meridien Hotel Paris. A beautiful lady with a natural grace, she brings a lot of emotion to her singing.

A tribute to Sidney Bechet with jazz classics and boogie blues is set for 24 November, when jazz under the stars with New Orleans cuisine gets better.  Dinner and jazz with New Orleans cuisine, 7 p.m. onwards at the Governor’s Terrace is priced at Rs. 3,500 nett.

Oliver Franc’s Jazz Ensemble is reputed to be one of the greatest jazz musicians of all time and Olivier Franc is widely believed to be one of the best interpreters of Sidney Bechet’s music, recreating the same passion through the compositions as the master himself.

This is the reason why Olivier is universally recognised as the best disciple of Sidney Bechet and MLH is privileged to have him begin the Christmas season at the hotel, playing on the very same saxophone that used to belong to Sidney Bechet.  Olivier Franc has gathered around him a true ‘All Star Band,’ comprising of musicians who thoroughly understand this style of music: his son, Jean-Baptiste Franc on piano and Benoît de Flamesnil on trombone.

On piano is the rising star Jean-Baptiste Franc, son of Olivier Franc and grand-son of René Franc, famous French clarinettist who was in the Sidney Bechet band in the 1950s. As is evident, jazz is a well established tradition in the Franc family. He is just starting his career but is already very well recognised and appreciated among ‘stride’ pianists. He has already been invited as a soloist in many ‘stride’ piano festivals throughout Europe and in the USA.

For information please call the MLH special events desk on 2711711 or 2711711 ext.  430