Oliver Weindling writes:
Cleo Laine, who has died at the age of 97, brought jazz singing in the UK right up-to-date, when working mainly with her husband John Dankworth. And it should be remembered that John and Cleo both had knighthoods separately, a very rare occurrence. And so well deserved.
In the best jazz tradition, she was fearless, not just in having a four octave range. She could sing husband John’s Shakespeare arrangements, perform Porgy & Bess with Ray Charles and even perform Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire. She recorded with many friends and ex band members, not least Dudley Moore.
We were fortunate to have John and Cleo do a benefit for the Vortex in our early days in Dalston. Neither asked for a penny.
They really believed in making jazz across the generations. I recall her work with Sara Coleman and daughter Jacqui.
And of course their children, Jacqui and Alec, have both been regulars at the Vortex since it first opened in 1988. So they have left a legacy with which we’re proud to be associated.