Jill Saward (born 9 December 1953) is a British singer, musician and composer, best known for being the lead voice of the English jazz-funk band, Shakatak.
Jill Saward | |
|---|---|
 Saward performing in Wuppertal, Germany (2014) | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 9 December 1953 Tooting, London, England |
| Genres | Jazz, funk, pop |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer-songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocal, flute, percussion |
| Years active | 1969–present |
| Labels | Secret Records |
| Website | Official website |
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Shakatak – Invitations: Do#Dj International Jazz Festival, April 22, 2008, Kyiv – Ukraine.. date July 12, 2012, Youtube (public video-sharing website |
Career
editShe began her musical career at the age of 16, with the British progressive jazz rock band Fusion Orchestra, from 1969 to 1975.[1]
Jill Saward and Fusion Orchestra gained a following of fans who secured a record deal with EMI music to produce their first album Skeleton in Armour, an album that immediately received critical acclaim upon its debut, and is now considered a collector's item which is highly sought after.[citation needed]
After the band Fusion Orchestra split, Saward became involved in a new all female group, called Brandy. The band, produced by Polydor, was active for about three years in the UK and Europe, before disbanding in 1976.
Saward was spotted later by the band leader Nicky North who invited her to perform in the 'Cats Whiskers' with his own big soul funk band. She also made a name for herself as one of the UK's session singers at that time. Saward also had a brief stint with a musical group of all women, called Citizen Gang, built by a French manufacturer of Orpheus Productions, and still managed to collaborate with the Nicky North Band. It was in this period she met band, Nigel Wright and Roger Odell, who are still components of jazz-funk band Shakatak.[1]
It was through Shakatak that Saward was able to record some vocals on an experimental track of a song called "Steppin'", and after nine top ten hits Saward was invited to be a permanent part of the group and started to tour worldwide.
She became the leading voice of Shakatak sharing success for more than 35 years. The band is still touring and recording and still popular around the world, especially in Europe and the Far East. They usually publish a new album every two years for JVC Records and Secret Records.[1]
Despite constant touring and recording, Saward has always managed to find time to develop new projects, and still continues to write and record new material.[2]
Personal life
editShe was married to the bass player George Anderson, also a member of Shakatak, with whom she had two sons, Luis and James. They divorced in 2001.[3]
In 2008 the Shakatak frontwoman starred in the reality TV show Living TV's Pop Goes The Band, a show which sees former musical stars such as Bucks Fizz, Bananarama, Visage, Cleopatra, 911, Chaka Khan and more, undergoing surgery in a bid to relaunch their careers.[3]
In addition to her music career, Jill is an abstract impressionist artist who specializes in photographic prints. Jill is also a recovering alcoholic and is currently enrolled in Suffolks 12 step recovery programme.
Discography
editThis section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. The specific problem is: Formatting, non-use of wikitable(s), laundry list appearance, unreferenced. (January 2017) |
Jill Saward (solo albums)
edit- 1999: Just for You
- 2016: Just for You (remastered with three bonus tracks)
- Jill Saward: all lead and BV voices
- Jason Rebello, Neil Drinkwater, and Chris Ingham: keyboards
- Snake Davis, Aaron Liddard, Matt Sibley, Derek Nash: saxophone
- Fridrik Karlson: guitar
- George Anderson: bass
- 2016: M Is for Manhattan
- 2016: Endless Summer
- Jill Saward: lead voice
- Aaron Liddard: saxophone
- Chris Ingham: keyboard
- Chris Johnson: vocals
- George Anderson: bass
- James Saward Anderson: vocals
- Mornington Lockett: saxophone
- Patrick Hartley: trombone
- Roberto Tola: guitar
- Simon Allen: saxophone
- Steve Dee: bass
- Teresa Green: backing vocals
With Fusion Orchestra
edit- 1973: Skeleton in Armour – recorded at Abbey Road Studios
With Brandy
edit- 1977: Ooh Ya
With Citizen Gang
edit- 1979: Citizen Gang
- 1979: "Womanly Way"
Albums
edit- 1981: Drivin' Hard
- 1982: Night Birds
- 1982: Invitations
- 1983: Out of This World
- 1984: Down on the Street
- 1984: Shakatak Live in Japan (live)
- 1985: Live! (Febbraio 1985) (live)
- 1985: City Rhythm
- 1986: Into the Blue (pubblicato in Giappone)
- 1987: Golden Wings (pubblicato in Giappone)
- 1987: Never Stop Your Love
- 1988: Manic and Cool
- 1988: Da Makani (pubblicato in Giappone)
- 1988: The Very Best of Shakatak
- 1989: Niteflite (pubblicato in Giappone)
- 1989: Turn the Music Up
- 1990: Fiesta (pubblicato in Giappone)
- 1990: Christmas Eve (pubblicato in Giappone)
- 1991: Bitter Sweet
- 1991: Utopia (pubblicato in Giappone)
- 1993: Street Level
- 1993: Under the Sun
- 1993: The Christmas Album
- 1994: Full Circle
- 1997: Let the Piano Play
- 1998: View from the City
- 1998: Live at Ronnie Scott's
- 2001: Under Your Spell
- 2003: Blue Savannah
- 2005: Easier Said Than Done (live album)
- 2005: Beautiful Day
- 2007: Emotionally Blue
- 2009: Afterglow
- 2011: Across the World
- 2014: On the Corner
- 2016 Times and Places
Compilation albums
edit
- 1988: The Coolest Cuts
- 1990: Perfect Smile (Issued in the US only)
- 1991: Open Your Eyes (Issued in the US only, with one track, "Hungry")
- 1991: Remix Best Album
- 1991: Night Moves
- 1996: The Collection
- 1996: Jazz Connections Volumes 1–6 (Six compilation albums of their exclusive Japanese albums from the 1980s and early 1990s)
- 1998: Shinin' On
- 1999: Magic
- 1999: Jazz in the Night
- 2000: The Collection Volume 2
- 2002: Dinner Jazz
- 2003: Smooth Solos
- 2008: The Best of Shakatak
- 2008: The Ultimate Collection
- 2009: The Coolest Cuts 12" Mixes Volume 1
- 2009: The Coolest Cuts 12" Mixes Volume 2
- 2012: The 12 Inch Mixes
- 2013: More 12 Inch Mixes
- 2014: Snowflakes & Jazzamatazz
- A three-part compilation album set, compiled by Roger Odell:
- Sunset Jazz
- After Dark
- Drive Time
Singles
edit| Year | Single | UK Singles Chart[4] |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | "Steppin'" | — |
| "Feels Like the Right Time" | 41 | |
| 1981 | "Living in the UK" | 52 |
| "Brazilian Dawn" | 48 | |
| "Easier Said Than Done" | 12 | |
| 1982 | "Night Birds" | 9 |
| "Streetwalkin'" | 38 | |
| "Invitations" | 24 | |
| "Stranger" | 43 | |
| 1983 | "Dark is the Night" | 15 |
| "If You Could See Me Now" | 49 | |
| "Out of This World" | 83 | |
| 1984 | "Down on the Street" | 9 |
| "Don't Blame It on Love" | 55 | |
| 1985 | "City Rhythm" | 76 |
| "Day by Day" (with Al Jarreau) | 53 | |
| 1987 | "Something Special" | — |
| "Mr. Manic and Sister Cool" | 56 | |
| 1988 | "Dr. Dr." | — |
| "Time of My life" | — | |
| 1989 | "Turn the Music Up" | — |
| "Back to the Groove" | — | |
| 1991 | "Bitter Sweet" | — |
| 1993 | "One Day at a Time" | — |
| 1997 | "Let the Piano Play" | — |
| 1998 | "Move a Little Closer" | — |
Videos
edit- 1984: Twilight Sensation [Laserdisc]
- 1986: The Purely Music Concert Series [Laserdisc]
- 2004: Live at the Playhouse [DVD]
- 2004: In Concert [DVD]
- 2005: Live at Duo Music Exchange [DVD]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Shakatak's Jill Saward discusses women in the music ahead of appearance at the Henley Festival". Bucks Free Press. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
- ^ "BBC Radio Oxford - Tim Smith, Tim meets Jill Saward from Shakatak & Mari Wilson". BBC. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
- ^ a b Rollo, Sarah (10 September 2008). "'80s singer ill after reality TV facelift". Digital Spy. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 492. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
External links
edit- Jill Saward site official JillSaward.org
- Shakatak site official www.Shakatak.com
- Jill Saward discography and album reviews, credits & releases at AllMusic
- Jill Saward discography, album releases & credits at Discogs
- Jill Saward albums to be listened as stream on Spotify
- "A Man Like You" (1978) video on YouTube
- "Just for You" (1999) video on YouTube
- Jill Saward & Bill Sharpe Interview on YouTube
- Shakatak live in Japan 2005 video on YouTube