This week Geoff is in Bedford, England to meet with one of the most highly regarded British jazz singers Jacqui Dankworth MBE – daughter of singer Cleo Laine and musician John Dankworth.

A song can carry a family. This episode begins with Stephen Sondheim and a daughter finding strength after losing her mother, the incomparable Cleo Laine. From the first quiet days after the memorial to the bright lights of new stages, we trace an artist's path through grief, discipline, and the brave work of beginning again.

Jacqui talks about the moment confidence clicked at boarding school, the drama teacher who opened a door, and the night a young mind met Judi Dench and felt its wings. Guildhall memories surface with the kind of detail musicians love: locking yourself away to prepare, sounding bad so you can sound true, and raising your average so it holds on tough nights.

Growing up around Cleo Laine and John Dankworth meant learning by watching rather than formal lessons, and it taught a lifelong respect for craft. That ethos lives alongside a wide-open ear: Stevie Wonder's ‘Innervisions’, Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan, Al Jarreau, Diane Reeves, and a family belief in "all music" that rejects genre silos and celebrates crossover.

There are stories you'll replay: singing ‘London by Night’ down the phone to its composer (Caroll Coates), stepping onstage with Chick Corea while sick, and learning to tap for Sondheim’s musical ‘Follies’ as a way through heartbreak. There are songs you’ll replay: Jacqui treats us to a gorgeous improvisation of Gershwin’s 1920s standard ‘The Man I Love’ accompanied by none other than the Quartet jazz standards app. We unpack nerves, venues, and why large halls and church acoustics can free a voice. We revisit Jacqui’s ‘Live To Love’ album, the joy of reimagining Weather Report and Geoff and Jacqui’s collaboration ‘It’s Tomorrow's World’.

Looking ahead, the goal is simple and brave: blend acting and singing, chase Sondheim, and keep making space where legacy and self can meet.

If this journey resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend who loves jazz and theatre, and leave a quick review so more listeners can find us.

Presenter: Geoff Gascoyne
Series Producer: Paul Sissons
Production Manager: Martin Sissons
The Quartet Jazz Standards Podcast is a UK Music Apps production.