Paris, LA, Rio!

In the early 1960s, popular music underwent a transformation. The prim, buttoned-up songs of the Fifties gave way to more sophisticated, sexy, sultry sounds. Better microphones allowed singing styles to relax, with natural voices becoming fashionable.

In her show “Paris, LA, Rio”, Shelley Dunstone will showcase the music of that era, by three songwriters from around the world. These were “the glamour-merchants of the Sixties” - Michel Legrand (Paris), Burt Bacharach (Los Angeles) and Antonio Carlos Jobim (Rio de Janeiro).

Songs include “The Windmills of your Mind” (Legrand), “The Look of Love” (Bacharach) and “The Girl from Ipanema” (Jobim).

"This was music for the cocktail-hour," Shelley says. "These are the songs you would hear as you drifted into a swanky bar wearing a long, sparkly dress. Ayers House Ballroom is a perfect venue for this show."

Shelley herself is a fan of long, sparkly dresses, having discovered cabaret as an art-form ten years ago. She has created and performed six original cabaret shows: "The Adventures of a Wannabe Bond Girl", "Adventures with a Brazilian", "Unbreak My Heart", "A French Romance", "Le Grand Legrand" and "Lani 66". She speaks both French and Brazilian Portuguese.

In 2016, Shelley performed with Brazilian friends in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, at the iconic night club “Beco das Garrafas” (Bottles Alley). This was the top place for Bossa Nova music in the 1960s.

Shelley will be accompanied on piano by Edward Heddle.