“Whatever you’re doing, it ain’t working…”
Gabriella Di Laccio, founder of the Donne Foundation, spoke at the opening of Late Night Jazz at the Royal Albert Hall’s Elgar Room, and recalled this comment, made six years ago by a male a make up steward at Macy’s in NYC about her look. She told the audience that it proved pivotal in her professional trajectory. Her message was clear: women didn’t need a man’s opinion on what was and wasn’t working, in music or anywhere else. The purpose of Di Laccio’s professional life today is to make this ethos become more of a reality.
Donne: Women in Music (*) is a foundation giving female compositions and composers a platform in a profession where, for example, just 5% of composers for films are women. Since its inception, the foundation has made a difference; Di Laccio has been recognised by the BBC as one of the 100 most influential women in the world for her contributions to music through the charity. The organisation collaborates with prestigious venues and artists across the country. The performance of Caroline Cooper felt a fitting occasion to celebrate the foundation’s work on the night of its sixth anniversary.
Cooper is a charismatic, talented composer whose enthusiasm is felt as much through her music as it is through her stage presence. Her quartet obliges her eclectic selection of genres; guitarist Paul Stead’s previous experience playing everything from classical to flamenco was shown through a plethora of versatile guitar solos. Paul Michael remained graceful across electric and double bass, with a particularly distinguished performance on Cooper’s latin-inspired numbers. The performance was underpinned by drummer Chris Nickolls’ proficiency leading the quartet’s groove over multiple tempos.
The first set provided a variety of modern jazz; piano-centred renditions of Cooper’s own arrangement of Joseph Kosma’s Autumn Leaves, and what she described as an ‘unadulterated’ version of Herbie Hancock’s The Maze were the openers. Cooper’s own compositions followed, including the amusingly-named “Campari Waltz”, named after a two-star Mallorca all-inclusive she had visited.
Her second set largely slowed the tempo and went in search of the sentimental, with many original numbers dedicated to family members. “Hebta”, dedicated to her late parents, illustrated the duality of her childhood memories through a mixture of playful and sombre chords. “Lillaby” was a soulful piece interspersing slower tempos with beautiful chord combination written as a lullaby to her daughter Lily.
The denouement to Cooper’s Late Night Jazz appearance may have been soothing, but the Elgar Room was energetic in its appreciation of the band, with applause and cries of ‘encore!’ filling the room. And as regards the the Donne Foundation… whatever it is doing, it’s working.
* Social media tags @donne_uk @gdilaccio / (pronounced Don-Nay)
