Biography

IRENE SUTHERLAND – MUSIC CAREER

Irene has worked extensively in studios writing jazz pop and soul songs with numerous songwriters and performed as a session singer with many local bands – Big Bang Two, The Kindness of Strangers and The Mick Whitaker Band.  She also gigged locally with her own band One Trick Pony.

Irene started her music career performing with bands such as Mortimer's Baby - an acoustic original rock band, Badger in the Bag - an electric contemporary folk band singing original and folk standards, and then Catstycam - a contemporary folk trio performing original songs. She has appeared on Television, Radio and toured folk clubs and festivals in the United Kingdom.

In 1996 Irene moved down South from the North East Of England to commit herself totally to the Music Business.

She soon discovered the South-Eastern Jazz Circuit and began making the odd tentative guest spot at local jazz venues.  She quickly found that her rich and distinctive voice was a natural for jazz and she began to embrace the discipline with a passion.

She realised that she would have to study Jazz to be able to communicate and work with the best musicians.  So she started by attending the renowned Wavendon Summer Jazz School and was selected to attend the Marion Montgomery Performers Course the following year.  Irene also studied for 2 years at Goldsmiths College in London - the theory of Blues and Jazz, and musicianship  in voice and piano-  and later attended the City Lit in Holborn to concentrate on jazz piano.

In 1998 she decided to release her own C.D. ‘Bear With Me’ featuring original songs in a Soul Groove vein.  She had been told that she sometimes sang jazz standards in a soulful way so she decided to record some original soul songs that she had previously written for fun.

“All the songs were autobiographical and I really enjoyed arranging them with the help of renowned local producers Jim and Steve Rodford.  It was such fun using computers for the drum patterns and session musicians for all of my ideas.  Even though I must admit I do now prefer the live sound that only jazz music gives me"

Irene performed Mainstream Jazz live for the following three years - arranging her own gigs for Greenalls and Fullers Breweries, organising private functions locally and in London, and singing in several restaurants.  She performed Jazz duets and trios for smaller venues, and began to get more work for her new quintet and promote her new material.

Irene went back into the studio in early 2001 to record new songs that she had written in a Jazz way and some of her favourite standards arranged and improvised in her own style.

“This time I was able to compose whole songs not just melody and lyric lines - which is a great step forward for me.  Learning this music theory has opened my eyes and heart to the world of music and composition.....”

Irene decided to return to the North East Autumn 2001 and began a personal crusade and campaign to develop the now fading Newcastle Upon Tyne Jazz Scene.  Recent venues have included singing at Blackfriar’s Restaurant for their special events, The Waterside Palace (Newcastle Quayside) and the Gateshead Flower Show.   In August 2004 Irene held weekly jazz sessions in McCoy’s Rooftop Restaurant at the Baltic, The Centre for Contemporary Art.  She featured each Sunday a pianist or guitarist and another leading instrumentalist.

Irene has been involved in vocal teaching at a local community studio, concentrating on young adults who had been in social care.  She has also worked with Generator Newcastle for their Pop Summer Schools then for Northumberland Music Services - taught at Bedlington High, Ashington Comp, and Northumbria College.  Irene also taught at two Performing Arts Schools – Sage Performing Arts in Byker and the Reavley Performing Arts School in Gateshead.  She has also enjoyed one to one teaching and music mentoring.

Recent professional session work involved the recording of a new interpretation of “Fever” for the international version of Lynda La Plante’s Trial and Retribution thriller Series.