Shows

As well as performing with her various groups, Libby Hammer regularly presents themed shows. Here is a selection of her favourites to date.

bacharach

In the late 1990s, the Greenwich nightclub used to reside under His Majesty's Theatre and it was here that Libby, along with singers Ali Bodycoat and Tim Minchin, first performed their tribute to the music of Burt Bacharach and Hal David. A favourite at the Greenwich, this show presents new interpretations of treasured songs such as Say A Little Prayer for You, Always Something There to Remind Me and Close To You, complete with a horn section and vocal harmonies, all served with a great big dollop of cheese.

bebopspokenhere

Developed for the Perth Jazz Society in 2008 and then repeated at the York Jazz Festival the same year, Libby and fellow jazz singer Bronwynn Sprogowski step into territory usually belonging mainly to instrumentalists and tackle some of the world's best-loved bebop repertoire. That means plenty of Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Thelonious Monk to mention only the obvious. The challenging repertoire features the girls in ‘instrumental mode', as well as performing some rarely heard lyrics and finely crafted vocalese. And not a standard in sight!

christmassongs

Libby has a penchant for Christmas music, and secular Christmas music in particular. For many years she co-ordinated the Perth Jazz Society's annual Ladies Of Jazz Christmas concert, contributing new Christmas arrangements each year. She has an extensive Christmas repertoire that is suitable for parties and jazz concerts. Since 2007, Libby has also co-ordinated and led the annual Carols By Candlelight concert at Fremantle Arts Centre, which features Libby's quintet, a choir plus special guests, and attracts thousands of people each year. Look at a list of our Christmas Repertoire.

duets

In July 2010, Libby teamed up with young upcoming singer Trent White to present a sell-out evening of jazz vocal duet repertoire. The show was repeated at Jazz Fremantle later that year, and is sure to make regular comebacks due to demand. In this delightful performance, the pair takes the audience on a journey through a smorgasbord of infectiously fun, comedic, and charming romantic pieces, all interspersed with the amusing banter that grows out of a friendly chemistry relating to their age difference and marital statuses. A few of the famous duets make an appearance, but Libby and Trent have dug deep to find some lesser-known gems of the Great American Songbook, including duets from Carmen McRae and Sammy Davis Jr, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, Jackie and Roy and Ray Charles and Betty Carter, to name a few.

fiestainblue

Originally developed for the Perth Jazz Society, this show fleshes out a tried and true (and somewhat broad) theme - the blues. But far from presenting an evening's worth of melancholy, Libby has rounded up a repertoire that stretches across far more territory than that "musical genre of African-American origin often using three phrases to a musical strain or textual stanza" that we call the blues. Painting with a palette of musical colours from 'mood indigo' to 'blue in green', Libby tackles a variety of blues-related material, from her solo rendition of Patti Cathcart's High Heel Blues to Dave Frishberg's tongue-in-cheek 'You Would Rather Have the Blues'.

frenchtoast

Libby is quite partial to the French language and brings to music lovers an impressive repertoire inspired by all things Français. From the cutesy stylings of Blossom Dearie to the raw power of Piaf, this collection of songs takes in the classics right down to a pop number or two (rrra da-da da-da). Crooning in French and English, Libby explores continental repertoire such as the jazzy "C'est Si Bon", the incomparably famous "La Vie En Rose" and the hopelessly romantic "Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup" (in Franglais). And all with lashings of "je ne sais quoi". Look at a list of our French Repertoire.

Ali Bodycoat and Libby Hammergreatamericansongbooks

Like most jazz singers, Libby is well-versed in the works of the great American composers. She has performed tribute shows to composers George Gershwin and Cole Porter, and lyricists Lorenz Hart and Johnny Mercer, one of her particular favourites. More often than not, Libby teams up with jazz vocalist Ali Bodycoat to take listeners for a light-hearted and poignant trip down memory lane, peeking into a few forgotten nooks and crannies along the way. Ali and Libby, along with the deft guitar work and novel arrangements of the wonderful Kim Anning, ensure that the great works of the Tin Pan Alley tunesmiths are still fresh, relevant and ravishing for music lovers, even after seventy years.

modernsongwriters

The Modern Songwriters Project debuted in 2004 at the Perth Jazz Society, after Libby and fellow band member Grant Windsor embarked on choosing a handful of special songs written in modern times; some well-known, and some deserving to be well-known. Performed in a jazz style, Libby interprets afresh songs from artists such as Sting, Ben Harper, Something for Kate, Everything but the Girl, Paul Simon, Ben Folds, Queen, Bob Dylan, The Beatles and Tom Waits.

myfavouritesongs

This show sees Libby nearer the cabaret end of the jazz spectrum. Written for the 2002 cabaret season at Downstairs at the Maj, Libby performs beloved songs from her childhood, and comedy songs that deserve a listening audience. This show is funny and unexpected, with Libby's then partner in crime, pianist Grant Windsor, contributing more than just notes to the whole affair. Together they perform old time comedy classics such as Someone's Been Sending Me Flowers, The Gnu Song, Poisoning Pigeons In The Park and The Physician. And though this show is completely clean, the pair spices it up with a little bit of innocent innuendo in You're Getting to be a Rabbit With Me and She Had To Go and Lose It At The Astor.

misforman,music,mozart

A screening of Peter Greenaway's short film accompanied by Dutch composer Louis Andriessen's music played live by Ensemble Vertigo conducted by Evan Kennea with soloist Libby Hammer.

scat'ntap

The rhythmically imaginative, freewheeling jazz tapper Joshua Hilberman from Boston, USA with WA's vocal whiz, Libby Hammer, in an ambitious dance/jazz project for the 2002 Fremantle International Jazz Festival.

songsfromthehart

Developed for the Fremantle International Jazz Festival in 2003, Songs From The Hart is a loving acknowledgement of Lorenz Hart's wordy witty brilliance featuring Libby Hammer as vocalist and narrator plus special guest vocalists Janet Seidel, Libby O'Donovan, James Flynn and Kristen Cornwell, with musical direction and piano by Grant Windsor.

bigtime - tomwaitstribute

Also in 2003 at Fremantle's Fly by Night Club, this Tom Waits tribute featured the talents of Martin Moon, Pugsley "Buzzard" Wateringcan, Libby Hammer, Corinna Sabatini, Fiona Guazzelli, Lucky Oceans, Sascha Ion, Kav Temperley, Bill Rodgers, Jacob Gosfield and The Sons of Lee Marvin Band.

James Bond Night promo photoshakennotstirred - jamesbond

Another Fly by Night Club extravaganza featuring Fi Lawe Davies, Cat Hope, Ali Bodycoat, Libby Hammer, Anna Rodgers, Jodie Tes, BarbieQ, Allison Fyfe, Keren Letheby, The Sons of Lee Marvin Band and the fabulous Bondettes.

simplysinatra

Featuring vocalists James Flynn and Libby Hammer with conductor Tommy Tycho and the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, this sensational tribute played in Perth and Esperance.

billieholidaymusicstory

The legacy of Billie Holiday lives on through the stunning voices of Libby Hammer, Tina Kemp and Bronwynn Way along with the Jazz Hot Five. The show produced a CD and toured Western Australia in 2002 and was produced by the Perth Jazz Society and devised and directed by Helen Matthews. In 2011 the show was remounted with vocalists Libby Hammer, Victoria Newton and Allira Wilson at the Perth Jazz Society, Jazz Fremantle and the Ellington Jazz Club.