Ali Affleck is not a household name yet- but I think she soon will be” […] “Ali sings with the same kind of élan and swing that is very evident in the recordings of a certain Billie Holiday. Now this is high praise indeed but I can assure you that it is entirely accurate. ”

— BBC Jazzhouse

Ali won the award of ‘Best Jazz Vocalist’ in the 2014 Scottish Jazz Awards, and that same year she was nominated as 'Best Emerging artist ' and for the 'Best Jazz Album'.

Ali was nominated again in 2020, 2019, 2018 and 2017 as Scottish Jazz Awards as 'Best Jazz Vocalist'. 


Early jazz historian Ali has earned her solid reputation as the quintessential ‘go to’ vocalist for authentic trad Jazz / prohibition era blues and as she is also an American and a swing dancer, Ali is uniquely placed to deliver this music with authority. Representing the Pioneers of early music (particularly the forgotten heroines!) Ali's fresh interpretations breathe new life into this highly specialized music and this sees her leading the charge for bringing old school Jazz back to the attention of our modern ears! She is a resident musician at Edinburgh's Famous Jazz bar on Chambers Street and this is where she hosts her trademark 'Speakeasy Sessions’ - high energy events that feature the countries finest musicians performing early jazz, swing and blues - a favourite for the swing dance scene!

 

Ali leads three distinct old school bands:

The Copper Cats with their feisty, classic front line brass section perform traditional New Orleans Jazz and blues in a sizzling celebration of the birthplace of Jazz. With Ali singing several French and Creole songs it is always a heartfelt and authentic, juicy swinging New Orleans trad vibe.

The Gin Mill Genies are passionate about ‘pre electric' and piano-centric prohibition era blues, gospel and jazz. The band offer a chance to hear ancient rarely heard Southern blues songs performed with prowess.

Bedlam Swing has a lively repertoire that ranges from the red hot roots of jazz in the 1820s up to the 1950s. With their toe tapping set list, which includes standards from the Great American Songbook along with many lesser known songs, the band deliver a fresh and authentic approach to the roots of jazz.

 

With an ever growing repertoire, Ali delights in her "lifetimes work" of exploring the jazz archives to find ancient gems to share - from saucy and fun, to dark and sinister, her bands are working hard to resurrect amazing forgotten songs and as an early jazz historian Ali offers up interesting and educational stage chat in a bid to help keep this rich musical heritage alive!  

Passionate, expressive, unique and above all, refreshingly unpretentious...Ali Affleck is the real deal - a bona fide Jazz and blues vocalist with a heartfelt vintage twist. 

The News and Musings of Ali Affleck...

NEW ALBUM ALMOST HERE!!! It is called Bleu Joyau… 'Joyful Blues'.... updates soon!

My happy wee family of washboards! which one will I use for my EPIC Edinburgh Jazz Festival on July 19th? ...The Copper Cats invited the Shakemup Jazz band to join us for a one off adventure! Click to for tickets!

SCOTTISH JAZZ AWARDS ! *VOTING CLOSES THIS THURSDAY at 5pm*


The Scottish Jazz Awards 2018 - ‘Best Jazz Vocalist’ - nominee - Ali Affleck ‘
If you like my work then I’d definitely appreciate the vote- I like to make y’all happy with my Yankee/ Scottish-ness....Always a supreme pleasure to be nominated for ‘best vocalist ‘so thanks so much for that. The popular / best social media skills largest network will create the winners so for this ‘best vocalist award’ I’m not likely to win

However it would be lovely if you fancied dropping a wee vote my way . I’m trying to push my bands profile as high as possible and I’ve got quite a few big and exciting things still ahead this year

What a fabulous and varied bunch of singers (with hugely different styles and approaches - from free improv, classic jazz and soul to my old school trad phrasing ) on the nominee selection ...... yet I SINCERELY wish we In this super small jazz community would all work together a bit more??? That would be fab!


Anyway Here is the link : http://www.jazzfest.co.uk/awards/


Please spread the word!
Sharing is caring... as they say

 

Delighted to be nominated again as ‘Best Jazz Vocalist’ in this years Scottish jazz awards !

if you like my work then do please vote and share :) forms are here:  http://www.jazzfest.co.uk/awards/

Finalising my Edinburgh fringe run !

As ever, we are bringing you our highly acclaimed show. ‘One Night in New Orleans’ - the Speakeasy Sessions’. This show is growing every year ! 10 high energy shows featuring the most respected and gifted jazz musicians in town and led by American vocalist (and washboard player!) Ali. ‘The Copper Cats’ will be presenting a selection of the earliest jazz and blues songs ever written in their heavily improvised and fun fashion with Ali’s trademark historical chat :) plenty room for swing dancing!

Show two - The immortal Billie Holiday - heartfelt homage to the mighty Billie holiday 

Show three - Blues divas! - another wee jaunt back to the beginning of jazz and blues but this time the focus is firmly on the pioneering women who are so badly neglected and passed over today . We are bringing their stories and their songs back to life! 

Show four - Sirens of the 50s! - The powerhouse of Dinah Washington and  Nina Simone. Piano quartet celebrating the  queens of jazz and blues! 

We are super excited about these fringe performances ... updates to follow!

 

EDINBURGH FRINGE FESTIVAL 2017!!!  SIX unique show runs!!

 and with some lovely recent views including this amazing title of "Scotland's bonafide Queen of vintage jazz and blues " ( ocweek) i feel a massive sense of responsibility! but I am ready for it!  

All star Scottish band will be Featured on every show! every show has a totally different setlist! and there is a 10% discount for those who attend than one show! 

I have spent years researching and building up to this years Edinburgh debut of  'The Birth Of the Blues ' two part show... I have uncovered such wonderful stories and wonderful forgotten songs... i cant wait to share them! 

The Birth of the Blues! - The Preaching Divas..... ...Part one of the amazing real life blues journey from 1800s to early 1900s! New Orleans, southern blues and gospel  
https://tickets.edfringe.com/…/birth-of-the-blues-the-preac…

The Birth of the Blues! - The Divine Divas .........Part two! - 1900s to 1930! The ladies of this new music called the 'blues' lay the way for birth of jazz! 
https://tickets.edfringe.com/…/birth-of-the-blues-the-divin… 

As usual i present the wild party that is The Speakeasy! with me my trusted Copper Cats! 

The Speakeasy Sessions - One Night in New Orleans..... 
THIS IS A RIOT! Ali and the acclaimed Copper Cats band transport you to the prohibition era! 
https://tickets.edfringe.com/…/ali-affleck-s-speakeasy-sess… 

I am steeling myself for Angels /Demons  - it is a very emotionally charged show and each song is very close to my heart.. I will try not to cry ! 

Adoring Angels / Despairing Demons - The Greatest songs of Love and Loss 
.......highly emotional and soul caressing performance with an intimate jazz trio.  
https://tickets.edfringe.com/…/adoring-angels-despairing-de… 

And no fringe festival can pass without my paying homage to the incomparable Lady in Satin.... 

Billie Holiday - a Celebration in Song....  
.....a heartfelt exploration of Lady Day's contribution to jazz and blues  
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/billie-holiday-a-celebration-in-song

And thrilled as ever i am to be with my lovely friend Dick Lee :)  

The Dick Lee Swingtet ........thrilled to work with Scotlands reeds maestro Dick lee - gypsy jazz flavours and simply swinging musicality  
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/dick-lee-s-swingtet-featuring-alison-affleck

Hope to see you at one of these shows! x

Aberdeen Jazz festival! Friday March 16th 

the Copper Cats are thrilled to be throwing a fabulous New Orleans swing dance party this year as part of the festival!  We have a free dance lesson From 6-7... then the band starts at 8... between the lesson and live music you have an hour to practice your moves with a non judgemental and friendly bunch and the Aberdeen university swing dance society will be DJing from 7-8 :)

we are bringing our amazing Copper Cats dancers with us and they will be doing some performance routines during the bands live set! Plus we will be helping out with some fun lighthearted dance competitions too - with prizes of two passes to this years amazing highland swing  ‘ness around’ Swing dance weekend! https://www.facebook.com/highlandswing/

 

phew!!! See you there at the lush Art Deco venue of ‘The Assembly ‘ on Skene street , Aberdeen - Friday March 16th! https://www.facebook.com/events/1132239623545389/?ti=icl

Scottish Jazz Awards 2017!! 

Thrilled to be nominated again as ' Best Vocalist'  in the prestigious Scottish Jazz Awards!

I won this award in the 2013/14 awards....and it would be amazing to win again this year!
it is a public vote so if you have enjoyed my work and any of my bands (live shows, Cds, Collaborations and Swing dance band performances)  so far then do please vote for me :)  Also, my long time musicians pals and band members Colin Steele and Steve Hamilton are also nominated!

I will be performing in the Glasgow Jazz Festival ( of which the awards is a part) so do come along to that show if you can too!
Link to the voting form is below:
 

USA Tour! 

Getting ready for my 8 date USA tour in California and New York City!!!

updates will follow :) EXCITED!!!

STV show! 

I was delighted to have been asked to perform on STV Edinburgh - Here are a couple links to what we did :)

Egyptian Ella - https://www.facebook.com/STVEdinburgh/videos/883708568332826/

Dream a Little Dream - https://www.facebook.com/STVEdinburgh/videos/883800408323642/

 

jazz festivals! 

Delighted to be performing at the Edinburgh jazz festival this year! The Copper Cats will be in the speigeltent on the evening of July 21st :)

...Another Amazing Review!! 

 At this years Edinburgh Fringe I popped into the award winning Jazz Bar to catch a performance by an award winning vocalist - Ali Affleck with Vieux Carre and the Copper Cats. Ali informs the crowd that we came on “a special night” as it was the band’s final “Fringe run’ gig, and in the standing room only bar I settled down to hear the lady that surely must be Scotland’s best kept secret in jazz and blues.
  Vieux Carre (the collective title for her band)  proves to be the perfect frame for Ali’s exciting repertoire. Of particular note are Mr Lee on reeds and Mr. Greives on trombone, they offered a sensitive and extremely responsive punctuation to every song. Mr Davis on guitar pulled out some ‘slick as you like’ solos and the bassist added pulsing authority to the stage. Mr .Norman on piano, although somewhat hidden in the background at times, brought some seriously full bodied action to the mix.
 
Ali is definitely a lady of two ‘styles’ – jazz and blues flow smoothly through her with equal fluency. As a self confessed ‘Vintage vocalist’ it is easy to see why Ali Affleck earned her award of ‘Best Jazz Vocalist’ in 2013. She has an exuberant and virtually pitch-perfect delivery with rich, powerful tones that pack a serious punch in all of her bluer numbers. Her vocal range is vast and this is exhibited particularly well with her trumpet toned ‘head voice’ as it effortlessly adds the right amount of perk to all of the early Billie Holliday tunes. Ali’s stage craft is exceptional, she has a warm and mischievous presence and it is very hard to divert your eyes from her!  When pushed to make comparisons (and I always am!)  I would best describe Ali as Billie Holliday meets a heavy dose of Patti Page and Julie London- as odd a combination as that may seem it is right on the money!
Ali is spookily like Lady Day when performing ballads, (in Stars Fell particularly) However Ali is certainly NOT one of the ‘copy-cat gang’, you know the type-  the singers who spend all their days attempting to mimic the great Jazz divas without allowing their own voice to shine through. No Sir, not this lady!
Ali possesses a supple, powerful and hugely unique voice and it is absolutely her own; such a breath of fresh air in a sea of mimics and easy listening vocalists! It is this gals opinion that it is only a matter of time until Ali acquires her own Jazz Diva status, and with such a solid band behind her it surely won’t take long!
 
- K.Peterson  ‘Heart of the Art’ 

 

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