SOLD OUT - Celebrating 50 years with the RS Big Band, special guests Mick Hucknall, Sharleen Spiteri... Thursday 29th October

Join us at our party to celebrate 50 years of Ronnie Scott's. The Ronnie Scott's Big Band and the All Stars pay tribute to the Club, with special guests including Mick Hucknall, Sharleen Spiteri, Andrea Corr, Jon Hendricks, Michelle Dockery, Guy Barker, Monica Mancini, Liane Carroll, Ian Shaw, Natalie Williams, Michael Mwenso - with other special guests to be announced. With well known guest speakers, a few surprises along the way, and a jam session to round the evening off, it's sure to be a night to remember. And to get you in the party mood, enjoy a glass of champagne on us when you arrive.

A special menu is being created especially for the evening, which will include celebratory cocktails.

Mick Hucknall is the founder and leader of Simply Red. In this role he has had great success and has remained at the top of his profession for more than 25 years. His path has taken him to extraordinary heights as a recording artist and live performer and his success has given him the opportunity to develop and indulge other interests.

His collection of awards, from a musical career built up around ten best-selling studio albums and more than 1000 concerts, runs from two coveted Ivor Novello awards (for Song of the Year in 1992 and an Outstanding Song Collection ten years later); three BRITs; an American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers honour; a World Music Award; and the Music Of Black Origin (MOBO) accolade for an Outstanding Achievement In Music, to over 130 platinum and gold records earned from worldwide record sales in excess of 50 million. With Simply Red he has played live to over a million people around the world, and has had the honour of playing for both the Queen of England, and Pope John Paul II and President Clinton.

Together with his degree in Fine Art and an honorary Masters degree from UMIST (University of Manchester Institute of Science & Technology) - awarded for his contribution to Manchester, fund-raising in the aftermath of an IRA bomb attack and outstanding musical success – these accolades are all tangible evidence of Mick Hucknall’s enormous achievements since he launched his band in 1984.

However, what is less well-known is the Manchester-born musician’s passion for wine making, his enthusiasm for sporting pursuits and his involvement in the development of the city of his birth where, for many years, Mick has been an active player in the city’s regeneration, being involved in a host of award-wining development projects. It was also in Manchester that he originally based Blood and Fire, his own specialist reggae record label, in which he continues to have an interest.

His enthusiasm for game fishing - and love of Ireland, the home of his ancestors - led Mick to invest in the world-renowned Glenmore Rivers sporting estate located on 10,000 hectares of Ireland’s Atlantic coast. Glenmore puts great emphasis on conservation and natural regeneration.

Mick’s love of Italy dates back to the days when he and his band sought an escape in Milan in the 1980s and was further enhanced by the fact that Simply Red recorded Stars, their biggest-selling album of all-time, in Venice.

Since then, as the owner of an estate in Sicily, Mick has enthusiastically embraced the world of wine and, on the slopes of Mount Etna, lie the vineyards which have been producing his highly regarded Il Cantante (the singer) wines since 2001. Growing high-quality grapes in rich volcanic soil and producing around 40,000 bottles of red and white wine each year, the Il Cantante winery embraces traditional wine-making methods and is lovingly guided by Mick and his partner Gabriella, under the expert eye of oenologist Salva Foti, winner of the Slow Food Italy’s ‘Winemaker of the Year’ award. The resulting wines are exceptional, with the Etna Rosso having been awarded 93pts from Gambero Rosso, the world’s most highly regarded guide to wines.

The story may have begun a long time ago with Simply Red but it’s no surprise to learn that Mick Hucknall, as a true creative spirit, is still in the business of seeking out new challenges to satisfy his soul.

Monica Mancini Bio:

Concord Records recording artist and double-Grammy nominee Monica Mancini, daughter of famed film composer Henry Mancini and the notable studio singer Ginny O’Conner Mancini, has carved out an impressive career as a concert performer and recording artist, appearing with major symphony orchestras worldwide, including the Chicago Symphony, New York Pops, Boston Pops, Dallas Symphony, Seattle Symphony and the London Metropolitan Orchestra. Ms. Mancini began singing early on as a member of the Henry Mancini Chorus, which led to a successful studio career in Los Angeles, where she appeared on countless film scores and recordings, with such notable artists as Placido Domingo, Quincy Jones, and Michael Jackson. Her debut CD, simply titled Monica Mancini was the companion to her PBS television special, Monica Mancini: On Record. Ms. Mancini’s recent TV appearances include the “Great Performances” special We Love Ella , Evening at Pops with John Williams and the Boston Pops and she performed a duet with Josh Groban on the recent “Stand Up To Cancer” benefit telecast. To celebrate the release of the USPS Henry Mancini Commerative Postage Stamp, Ms. Mancini kicked off an extensive 60-city tour, followed by sold-out concerts at Carnegie Hall, Disney Hall, Boston Symphony Hall, Tanglewood. Her most recent recording, the Billboard chart topping and double Grammy nominated album Ultimate Mancini featured Monica and some very special guest artists including Stevie Wonder, Take 6, Kenny Rankin, Gary Burton, Joey DeFrancesco, Tom Scott and Plas Johnson paying tribute to her father. On her upcoming fifth album release, I’ve Loved These Days, (January 2010) on the Concord label, Monica is paired once again with Stevie Wonder as well as Brian Wilson, Jackson Browne, Take 6 and others performing iconic singer-songwriter songs from the 60’s accompanied by full orchestra. The New York Times has described Mancini’s rich, expressive voice as “the glamorous vocal equivalent to diamonds flashing.” On her approach to interpreting a song, she says, “I always keep in mind the composers intention. I believe melodies and lyrics are crafted with a definite purpose. I want to bring out the beauty of the writer’s word through music”. Composer John Williams writes: “Monica Mancini brings her talent, musicality and most of all, love to the music, and proves that the passage of musical genes didn’t stop with the Bachs, Strausses or Ellingtons!”