China Moses’ ‘Crazy Blues’ at Ronnie Scott’s for 3-night residency

“She commands the stage from the moment she makes her entrance”
The Times

“Dee Dee Bridgewater¹s daughter, she has a similarly incisive voice, powerful swing and high-voltage personality”
Evening Standard

“Like her mother Dee Dee Bridgewater, Moses has charisma to spare”
The Sunday Times

Following her acclaimed Ronnie Scott’s debut in 2012, China Moses returns for 3 nights in November. The daughter of jazz legend Dee Dee Bridgewater and director Gilbert Moses, Paris-based China was born in the United States but raised in France. Multi-talented, she is a professional vocalist, songwriter, music producer, and television & radio host. She will be performing material from her fifth studio album, “Crazy Blues”, recorded with pianist Raphaël Lemonnier, which was released earlier this year.

“Crazy Blues” was conceived as a tribute to some of the Great Dames of blues and soul whose careers have fascinated China over the years. They include Dinah Washington and some of her precursors and peers: Mamie Smith, Helen Humes, Lil Green, Ma Rainey, as well as stars like Esther Phillips, Nina Simone, Janis Joplin, Etta James, Ann Peebles and Donna Summer.

The show is set to feature Moses’ re-vamped version of ‘Why Don’t You Do Right’, a classic by Lil Greene with a memorable version by Peggy Lee; ‘Crazy Blues’ by Mamie Smith which kick-started the trend for blues singers; ‘Cherry Wine’, the duo with Sly Johnson, originally sung by a young Esther Phillips; and Donna Summer’s hit ‘Hot Stuff’. Other songs include the iconic ‘Work Song’ by Nina Simone, ‘You’re Crying’ by Dinah Washington, and ‘The Mailman The Butcher and Me’, an original composition by China and Raphaël dedicated to different men evoked in the blues scene such as the doctor in ‘Dr Feelgood’, the dentist in ‘Long John Blues’ and the TV repair man in ‘T.V. Is The Thing This Year’.

By favouring spirit over form, these interpretations are a million miles from being a simple copy of the original. Along with these album songs, other songs in China’s repertoire specifically for stage performances include: ‘Kitchen Man’ by Bessie Smith, ‘Today I Sing The Blue’s by Helen Humes and Aretha Franklin and ‘Love Me Or Leave Me’ sung so memorably by Billie Holiday.