Jacqui Dankworth is to appear alongside former Culture Secretary Chris Smith on Radio Four's "A Good Read" on 19th February at 4.30 pm, repeated on 22nd February at 11pm.

In interview for the Jacqui Dankworth Information Service, Jacqui reflected on her choice, "Gilead", by Marilyn Robinson - and confesses she had to read it again to remind herself of exactly why she loves it so much.  "It was not so easy to choose which book to recommend as I imagined," she says.  "The whole show is actually quite a daunting task.  Sharing with these two amazing minds - not to say the nation - just why I chose MY book and talking about my likes and dislikes left me feeling quite humble!"

"Chris's choice was a wonderful debut novel called 'Resistance' by Owen Sheers, a welsh poet.  Kate Mosse chose 'Negotiating With The Dead' by Margaret Attwood.  It was based on a series of lectures given by Attwood at Cambridge University about what it means to be a writer."  Jacqui smiles and confides: "After all the Christmas pudding, crackers and relaxing over the New Year, it was quite a tough read...  Don't tell anyone I said that!" she laughs.  "It had some wonderful nuggets in it, though.  Pure gold.  As for Kate Mosse, well, she is an amazing intellectual, so all respect to her, and Chris is a lovely guy. I won’t say any more in case I spoil things!"

Listeners can also go to the BBC website and listen again for one week after the transmission.

Jacqui has finally announced that she has taken on David Carr, formerly Clare Teal's Manager, as her new representation. Although she had met David several times in the past, it was through theJazz Radio station that Jacqui and David started to work together.  David is a producer at theJazz, having created a variety of the shows as well as producing Jacqui's "Sunday Show". He is currently helping Jacqui with her new album and record deal, so keep checking out our website or JOIN THE JACQUI DANKWORTH INFORMATION SERVICE for updates on all the exciting developments this year... it's easy to join... and it's free..!

If you are bursting to hear more from Jacqui Dankworth, why not tune in to theJazz - the new digital jazz radio station that everyone is talking about?

Every Sunday at 1pm Jacqui Dankworth gives us a couple of hours of her favourite music, peppered with the sort of anecdotes that you can only get if jazz has been part of your life since the day you were born. What a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon - and what wonderful company!

You can hear Jacqui on TheJazz via Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB), you can also tune in on your digital satellite or cable tv service - or listen online by going straight to http://www.thejazz.com/ and click the "listen" button.

Jacqui will be singing on Radio 3 with the Brodsky Quartet on Monday 12th March.  Her work with Brodsky covers a fascinating and varied selection.  Together they explore arrangements of music by Rodgers, Bjork, Weill and Elvis Costello, as well as Ravel's String Quartet in F major.  This appearace will give Jacqui's fans and new adherents a great chance to hear another aspect of her singing career - and whet the appetite for the gig at St Luke's, London, on the following night!

Jacqui Dankworth today received an honorary doctorate from the University of East Anglia in recognition of her contribution to modern music.

In her acceptance speech Jacqui commented on what a great honour it was to be awarded the honorary doctorate, and how pleasing it was to be recognised.  "You get good times in life, you get bad times," she said, before adding: "And you keep on going.  When something like this happens, and you are shown so much appreciation, then it makes all the tough times worth it.  I guess that's the same for you as for me: hard work does pay off.  All I can say to you is what I believe myself: Live your dreams."

Jacqui's gigs were nominated the number 1 "picks of the week" by The Guardian on 29th July 2006.  Their recommendations for a great night out at the Sands Venue, (29th July 2006) and The Vortex Club (4th August 2006), read as follows:

Jacqui Dankworth. The Vortex Jazz Club N16, Friday. Sophisticated and intelligent cross-genre singer is currently broadening her audience, but she's too classy and curious to leave jazz behind.

Maybe we'll see you there!

The 2006 BBC Jazz Awards were announced today, with Jacqui nominated in the best jazz vocalist category.  For more information on the BBC Jazz awards, visit: The BBC 2006 Jazz Awards.

Jacqui's week of shows at jazz epicentre Ronnie Scott's in the second week of 2006 went down a storm.  The Observer described the experience with these glowing words: There came a moment in Jacqui Dankworth's set when, had I not been sitting about three feet away from the action, I would have suspected some kind of electronic trickery because the arrangement was so complex, the timing so nifty and Ms Dankworth's vocal control so exquisite... This week was a triumph. Look out for more exciting gigs near you! 

Today, Jacqui will be recording with Cleo Laine on her upcoming album.  We'll let you know how it goes...

Jacqui's album with the Brodsky Quartet is now out on the Sanctuary label. She appears alongside such illustrious company as Bjork, Sting, Elvis Costello, Ron Sexsmith, Ian Shaw and Sir Paul McCartney. Jacqui will be performing some of these songs as part of The Wavendon Garden Season on the 10th July (see gig page for details). She also performed live last week with The Brodsky Quartet on The Late Late show in Dublin.

Jacqui is to star in a new radio play called Palm Therapy by Sharon Shrubshall on Radio 4. This will be broadcast on the 30th March at 2.15 p.m. This is the comic and musically delicious story of a girl called Simone (Jacqui) and a large Jamaican plant called Zamia, who sets out to help Simone reclaim her life, and start singing again. Great fun!

Jacqui appeared on BBC 4 tv on 21/3/05 on the Stephen Sondheim Special, alongside Brian Kennedy and Maria Ewing and with the BBC Concert Orchestra. This was recorded at The Millennium Theatre In Derry last year as part of the BBC's Live in Ireland series.

Jacqui was invited to play an intimate gig for Michael Parkinson at his village pub in Maidenhead. Michael hosted the evening and was cheering throughout Jacqui's performance. The evening was an extremely special treat for the people that manged to book a table - The audience went wild for Jacqui and she was called back for two encores.

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Detour Ahead received a four star glowing review in the August issue of Mojo, click on reviews for full details.

This week, Russell is joined by singer and actress Jacqui Dankworth, who talks about the artists (Sarah Vaughan, Doris Day, Bonnie Raitt, Al Jarreau, Paul Simon...) and songs (On The Street Where You Live, My Romance, I Can't Make You Love Me, Not Like This...) which have inspired her new album.

Jacqui Dankworth's new offering Detour Ahead is a bewitching collection of the new, old and blue showcasing Jacqui's special relationship with standards and moody blues whilst echoing the contemporary aspects of the craft of the songstress. Complementing her impressive vocal range (the extremes of which are exhibited on Detour Ahead and Strange Woman) Jacqui has crafted a personal sense of time and space, never sounding hurried or mundane.  Feeling is something Miss Dankworth has in abundance  she lives the lyrics and imbues them with her own nuances, bending notes and caressing words to stunning effect (try But Beautiful, for the definitive Dankworth!)

The one minute 43 seconds duet of My Romance is a miniature masterpiece in which Jacqui distills this classic song into a compact compelling rendition making the listener hang on every word, giving the ultimate meaning to the lyrics. An art which she develops, further on the end track Not Like This accompanied again by the urbane piano of David Gordon.   Her exceptional relationship with the contemporary ballad line, (I Can't Make You Love Me) is taken forward with the gently pulsating and intimate storytelling exhibited on the classics The Island and Gentle Rain by the Brazilian masters Ivan Lins and Luis Bonfa.   Throughout the set, Miss Dankworth is ably abetted by her regular band featuring the peerless Mike Outram on guitar, brother Alec on bass and percussionist Roy Dodds, together with variously, pianists Malcolm Edmonstone, David Gordon & James Pearson.

As on As The Sun Shines Down On Me, the collection has its fair share of Dankworth originals including the haunting Strange Woman (originally performed with The Passion), a  tour de force rendition of Time Take It's Time and the closing Come Home Baby! - a funky titbit to set the seal on a great listening experience.

On Friday at 10pm Jacqui Dankworth will be interviewed by Mariella Frostrup on The Green Room, Radio 2.  

Jacqui Dankworth will be on Jools Holland Radio 2 show on May 31st at 9pm. Jacqui will be interviewed by Jools and performing tracks from her new album.