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| Sunday, 22 August 2004 |
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Any wonder since she was born in Sri Lanka, studied at the Girls' High School, Kandy and Bishop's College, Colombo before she left out shores in '63 to domicile in Australia with her parents. A mainstream jazz singer who was in live action at Gatsby's the new Jazz and Blues Club at the Galadari Hotel, Pippa Wilson's final performance was on Friday 20. A singer with good technique and whose repertoire is loaded with all the standards and blues confesses "I enjoy singing these standards. The songs are good as they are and I keep them straight and I sing what I feel." At Gatsby's the other night, Pippa swung through 'How High The Moon', 'Summertime', 'Just One of Those Things', a voice and piano 'Ain't Misbehavin' - piano by Harsha Makalanda, and the blues swinger 'Halleluijah I Love him so' to name a few from her two sets. Backing on drums was Aruna Siriwardhana, Grant Chamberlain - saxophone and Ray Gomes- bass. Although she does not venture into modern jazz singing, she is appreciative of the styles of the present day leading lights on the global scene. "I love Ella Fitzgerald and admire her scatting, there's Sarah Vaughn and Lena Horne. The pop singer K.D. Lang is remarkable. She was on tour in Australia with Tony Bennett and the album that was released is something that should be with jazz lovers," enthuses Pippa, for whom music was always in her life. Her switch to jazz singing came about in '71 when started professionally performing for floor shows and cabarets and was enhanced when she joined trombonist Chris Ludowyeke's New Harlem Jazz Band. A self taught guitarist Pippa says that there were no influences in her early years. "I didn't have any influences. My brother had a player and he listened to all types of music at home. My mum she played piano by ear, so I was nurtured in music!" Now with her group the Pippa Wilson Swingtet she tours not only in Australia, 'cos she came in from London for this gig at Gatsby's. It's back to Melbourne for Pippa and we hope she will return with her Swingtet to give happiness to music lovers who fall in at Gatsby's. |
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| Produced by Lake House |
"I feel like I've come home" says Pippa Wilson as she flashes
that warm, characteristic smile of hers, when we caught up with her for a
typical musicians pow wow. Her demeanour is pleasant and friendly.
Memories of her land of roots swiftly switched through her mind in the
drive from the airport to the hotel she reveals.
