Lillian Boutté Visiting West Kent College

International soul, jazz and gospel singer Lillian Boutté will be performing with the staff and students of West Kent College Music Department at Mojo’s Bar, Tonbridge, on Tuesday 16th March. The evening will feature a one hour performance by Lillian, backed on stage by West Kent College lecturers, amidst a showcase of the department’s top student bands.

Lillian, named the successor to Louis Armstrong as Musical Ambassador of New Orleans, is spending the day at West Kent College to talk about her life and music, and her fund-raising work to rebuild the vibrant music scene of her native city after the devastation caused five years ago by Hurricane Katrina. She will also lead a Vocals Workshop with singing students and staff.

Lillian’s career has featured numerous albums, world tours and performances with musicians such as Dr. John, Allen Toussaint and Humphrey Lyttleton. Her close friend and associate Dr. Martin Luther King spoke of her: "A voice like this comes once in a millennium". She also played a cameo role in the film Angel Heart which starred Mickey Rourke and Robert de Niro, and has since starred in the award-winning New Orleans documentary The Sound After The Storm which depicts the attempts of the broken city to reclaim its musical culture.

This visit signals the beginning of an exciting relationship between West Kent College and the city of New Orleans, and was initially arranged through Richard Simmons, Visiting Lecturer at West Kent College (and Lillian’s piano player for many years). Music Programme Leader Julie Parker and Access to Music Course Leader James Sedge will be attending a conference in New Orleans next month, in which they will meet the staff of the University’s Music Department, with the aim of setting up an annual student field trip for Music Degree students to New Orleans.

Lillian says, "I asked Julie if it was possible that I could share some stories about my home town New Orleans. It has worked out very well and I look forward to getting to know the students and staff, seeing my old friend Richard Simmons again, and to meet them all again in New Orleans next year. I look forward to the time we will spend together!"

Lillian Boutté plays Mojo’s Bar on Tuesday 16th March. The show starts at 8pm, it’s free and open to all. This is not to be missed!