By Duncan Eaton

SHE has a legion of fans worldwide and a host of honours and awards including a Grammy nomination.

American songstress Stacey Kent, who returns to Eastleigh’s Concorde on Wednesday October 26, is a jazz singer in the mould of the greats.

Her musical journey began in her childhood with piano lessons. An unusually keen ear and true voice lead her to take part in school musical productions.

Throughout her time at New York’s Sarah Lawrence College she could often be heard singing at impromptu musical events in the campus cafe.

After graduating she moved to England and while studying at London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama she met tenor saxophonist Jim Tomlinson whom she married.

In the early 1990s, Stacey began her professional career singing regularly at Café Boheme in London's Soho.

After two or three years, she began opening for established jazz acts across the road at the Ronnie Scott's nightclub in London.

Her first album, Close Your Eyes was released in 1997, followed by nine other albums and she has featured on three of Tomlinson's albums, most recently The Lyric (2006), which won Album of the Year at the 2006 BBC Jazz Awards and was re-released on Blue Note in 2011.

Stacey’s music was championed by critic and jazz trumpet legend Humphrey Lyttelton. She won the 2001 British Jazz Award and the 2002 BBC Jazz Award for Best Vocalist. She has also presented jazz programmes on BBC Radio 2 and 3

Kent's album, The Boy Next Door, achieved Gold album status in France in September, 2006 and Breakfast On The Morning Tram(2007) gained Platinum album status in France in November, 2007 and was nominated for Best Vocal Jazz Album at the 2009 Grammy Awards.

Following a recent successful concert series with the Bordeaux Symphony Orchestra, Stacey is currently planning an ambitious album for release in 2017 on SONY. She continues to tour with sold-out concerts and festival appearances around the world.

*For more details of Stacey Kent and her Musicians on October 26 ring 02380613989 or visit www.theconcordeclub.com