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Send us your review:
Describe the atmosphere and live music at a local pub, restaurant, festival, church or temple, club night.... inspire other people to check it out!
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Musician: Liz Dutton
Location: Cardiff
Instruments: voice / percussion
Music: Gospel / Samba
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 ÌýÌýListen (15'13) to the Impact Gospel Choir perform live from Cardiff for Radio 3's World Music Day, introduced by Lucy Duran, Andrew McGregor and Dj Ritu.
How I came to this music:
'When we're warming up, we'll start making sounds and then all of a sudden we end up unconsciously harmonising. It just comes naturally. '
As a child I was always singing. I used to attend Sunday School at The Zoar Pentecostal Church which was literally across the road from our house in Adamsdown, Cardiff. One Christmas, the teacher asked me to sing solo for the visiting Father Christmas. Though it was the most nerve-wrecking experience, I managed to deliver my version of 'Silent Night' and from then on, I was always dreaming of being a pop star! I'd sing mostly at home for my own pleasure when no-body else was around.
There was always music at home. My Ghanaian grandfather was a travelling entertainer and my father was Nigerian. I've a cousin based in the USA who's a professor of music and through my Russian Jewish side, there was undoubtedly an inherent interest in music. I'd say, however, that given that my father died when I was quite young, I was probably more influenced by the gospel as well as the choral singing we did at school assemblies which included lots of Welsh folk songs.
I went on to train as a community youth worker and never went for the pop star route. Then I met Jackie Marshall, the founder of our Impact Gospel Choir and started singing with her. We usually rehearse in Jackie's living room and it's really good fun. Our numbers fluctuate but there are usually about 6 of us. Often when we're warming up, we'll start humming and making sounds. Then all of a sudden we end up unconsciously harmonising. It just comes naturally when you're relaxed.
Another big musical interest of mine is samba. I was going through Cardiff town centre one day and became entranced by a group of samba players busking on the street. The beat was so hypnotic, I enquired about where they were based and they invited me to join them. It's brilliant because you don't need to be particularly musically minded to take part.
Where I play:
The Impact Gospel Singers play all over the place from community halls and private parties to weddings - where ever we're invited to perform, we'll get our troupe together. Then Jackie works out a programme of songs and we're away.
The Samba group do a lot of jamming together, out on the streets and especially at the annual Cardiff Mass Carnival which takes place every Summer. It's brilliant because true to the original notion of Samba, we literally take to the streets and party.
I also really love singing at home by myself. I find it very therapeutic, particularly gospel music which literally lifts my spirits.
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Liz performed as part of Radio 3's World Music Day on 1st January 2003 |
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