Recitals on Demand - Hetty Kate
Strayhorn, Sherrill and Stewart: Kissing bug
The often overlooked, but much celebrated pianist and composer Billy Strayhorn teamed up with vocalist Joyce Sherrill and cornetist Rex Stewart (they all worked in The Duke Ellington Orchestra at the time) to pen the interesting and fun standard Kissing Bug in 1945.
Hetty included this tune in her 2011 EP release of the same name. She loves the sassy lyrics about suffering the problem of falling in love with a bit of a rogue. This song was most famously recorded by the inimitable June Christy.
| Close your eyes | Kissing bug | Come rain, come shine |
| Click the links above to view Hetty’s other recitals. | ||
Some biographical notes
Born in England and raised in Australia, Hetty Kate is a jazz vocalist with a distinctive voice, pure tone and an interest in straight-ahead jazz and vintage music. Often compared to a young Peggy Lee or Doris Day and present day chanteuses such as Stacey Kent and Silje Nergaard her phrasing and sweet swinging style has allowed her to perform in many fantastic countries around the world. In the last five years she has appeared on seven albums, four of which are with her own bands – and three of those were released in 2011.
Beginning her musical education in England at a young age with classical piano and violin lessons; and having a brief affair with alto saxophone in her teenage years she began to sing in her early 20s and studied the Bel Canto classical method in Melbourne.
Soon interested in more contemporary styled vocals, Hetty took classes with vocal coach and vocalist Susie Ahern and acclaimed Melbourne Jazz pianists Steve and Bob Sedergreen, leading to her performing debut in 2007. Since her debut, Hetty has regularly performed with many of Australia’s finest Jazz musicians, and is often invited to be a guest vocalist with big bands ‘The Pearly Shells’ (AU), ‘The B# Big Band’ (AU) and in Hong Kong ‘The Stray Katz’.
Hetty runs three bands whilst she's in Australia, and can often be seen performing at jazz clubs around Melbourne.
"A charismatic and technically gifted vocalist, who's gorgeous timbre carries echoes of Peggy Lee, June Christy and Julie London.." Chris May - All About Jazz (USA)