RNCM Big Band & Madeline Bell

Legendary soul singer Madeline Bell joins the RNCM Big Band to deliver a toe-tapping evening of standout tunes and sizzling rhythms.

Performing an eclectic mix of jazz classics, rarely heard gems, and two brand-new compositions by RNCM student composers, the programme also includes a fresh arrangement of Undine Smith Moore’s Before I’d Be Slave, originally written for piano, and features bespoke arrangements created specifically for this performance.

Madeline Bell will perform an array of jazz standards and R&B classics, including works written for her by Mancunian blues icon Georgie Fame. Fans will recognize The Blues and Me and It Don’t Mean a Thing from the 1992 album City Life, marking Bell’s first recording with a young Iain Dixon.

A Newark, New Jersey native, Madeline Bell first arrived in Europe in 1962 with the Alex Bradford Singers and has stayed ever since.

These gospel beginnings stood her in good stead as a much sought-after session singer for the likes of Dusty Springfield, Joe Cocker and The Rolling Stones. Her solo career was marked by albums such as Bell’s a Poppin’, Doin’ Things, and This Is One Girl.

In more recent years, her jazz/blues repertoire has seen Madeline play the world over, fronting the likes of the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw and the BBC Big Band. In 2023, she celebrated her 80th birthday at her sold-out show at London’s Cadogan Hall with the English Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Matthew Jones.