“The charm of her style lies in the clear, modest simplicity with which she brings off quite daunting musical feats.  Her own songs, especially ‘The Dancer’ and ‘Black Swan’, add an element of ethereal calm…it is significiant that her pianist, and co-composer in one instance should be John Horler, that most subtle and allusive of accompanists….a charming and exquisitely performed set.” Dave Gelly, The Observer, on Just for Luxury

“Outstanding … [Sue is] My choice for jazz arrival of the year” Dave Gelly, The Observer

“A gently unconventional performer… a rich mid register, calmly inventive, boldly ambitious… she has imagination and heart and is certainly keeping the right company” John Forham, The Guardian

“[Sue] ain’t easy listening, far from it – her emotional, intense delivery demands attention.  There is nothing superficial or wasted as she lives each song as if she was telling a story for the first time.  She hasn’t a big, room-filling voice, but is all the better for it as her technique and control do all that is required.  Of the 14 songs she sang there were seven originals, two by Chick Corea, and one each by Wayne Shorter (Speak No Evil), Herbie Hancock (Maiden Voyage) and pianist John Horler (Babe’s Blue), as well as two standards.  Great support from bassist Andy Cleyndert and the impressive Mark Fletcher on drums.  The singer is worth seeking out as someone who is far from the usual standards vocalist” Derek Gorman, Jazz Review - live review of London’s Pizza on the Park Just For Luxury album launch

 

Since her 2002 debut album, 500 Miles High the Air is Blue, Sue McCreeth has received widespread critical acclaim for her live performances as well as her recordings.  Her new CD, Just for Luxury, once again showcases her talent as an original and inventive writer of intoxicating harmony, uncommon grooves and smouldering lyrics.  Sue’s band includes some of the UK’s leading musicians who cut fierce grooves, swing like mad and give slow burns a simmering instrumental undertow, and she possesses the ability to hold her own with a subtle, misty vocal flow at the centre of the instrumental storm.  

 Sue was singing from a young age; by the time she was nine she was playing guitar and writing her own songs.  At 18 she worked with dance bands, such as The Brass Roots and Bob Miller Band, in around her home county of Lincolnshire.  Her subsequent career has included tours of the UK blues circuit (where critics praised her ‘velvety alto’ ), a West End residency with a two-guitars-and-a-tabla fusion band, and time spent as a pianist/singer in London's luxury hotels.  These experiences helped hone her craft and she’s since built a solid reputation as a jazz quartet leader, touring the UK with the support of Jazz Services.  Sue was awarded honours in the jazz category at the 2004 International Songwriting Competition, and is also admired for her arrangements of contemporary jazz.    

John Horler is one of the country’s most revered pianists.  He works regularly with Cleo Laine, John Dankworth and Alan Barnes, and has played with, to name a few, Art Farmer, Chet Baker, Zoot Sims, Kenny Wheeler, Placido Domingo, Barbra Streisand and Elton John.  Andy Cleyndert turned professional at 18, and has since worked with virtually every major player on the British jazz scene, as well as accompanying top level US artists.  For a number of years he played in Ronnie Scott’s Sextet and Quintet, and he now tours extensively with various Junior Mance and Stan Tracey groupings, amongst others.  Mark Fletcher is one of the UK’s most versatile and in-demand drummers, equally at home in straight ahead jazz, free improvised, rock and world music.  Mark has been a regular at Ronnie Scott's since the late 1980s, and Dizzy Gillespie, Mark Murphy, Flora Purim, Norma Winstone, Georgie Fame, Ian Shaw and Cedar Walton are just some of the many artists that this exciting drummer has worked with.

www.suemccreeth.com

Just for Luxury is released on Tru-nu, and distributed by Proper Music Distribution Ltd