Cleo Laine and hubby return to the Rrazz Room;
Spencer Day shines; Lua Hadar makes a French connection
By Bruce Bellingham


The legendary first couple of British jazz, Dame Cleo Laine and Sir John Dankworth, return to the Rrazz Room this month for an extended run, Sept. 22 to Oct. 4. The two have been at the vanguard of jazz since the 1950s. They were married in 1958 after Dankworth had hired Laine as the vocalist for his big band. He later hired a young Dudley Moore as his piano player. In Wavendon,
Buckinghamshire, the two operate a music school for disadvantaged students. Tickets are $50–$65.
   
The versatile Spencer Day also returns to the Rrazz Room this month, from Sept. 8–20. Day is celebrating his new CD, Vagabond, on Concord Jazz where he breaks away from the covers and offers all-original songs. But if you go to the Rrazz, maybe you can get him to sing his great version of A Rainy Night in Georgia. Tickets are $30–$37.50.
   
And here comes the vivacious Lua Hadar, the local chanteuse who always brings an electrified performance to the stage. Lua and her group, Twist, will provide a French connection at the Rrazz on Sunday, Sept. 13 at 3 p.m. Lua has a knack of digging up wonderful songs in all sorts of languages. She’s just back from Paris and is clearly in a French mood. Tickets are $25.
           
Rrazz Room: 222 Mason Street (at O’Farrell) in the Hotel Nikko; tickets available at 866-468-3399, www.therrazzroom.com or www.ticketweb.com.