Judith Owen today shares the new video for Fine Brown Frame exclusively with Jazz Journal. Taken from her upcoming studio album Come On & Get It and recorded in New Orleans, it celebrates the unapologetic ladies of 1940/50s jazz and blues.
Originally recorded in 1947 by Nellie Lutcher, Fine Brown Frame was, says Judith, “the song that started it all – my obsession with unapologetically sassy, musically brilliant female performers like the delicious Nellie”.
Talking about the video, Judith reflects: “I’m so thrilled with the video for Fine Brown Frame, the second filmed at NOLA’s historic Preservation Hall, with my ‘Gentlemen Callers’ – David Torkanowsky (MD/piano), Lex Warshowsky (bass), Pedro Segundo (drums) and Kevin Lewis (cornet).”
“I wanted this video to look like we were rehearsing or having an after-show jam, during which I’m telling them about the man I’m crazy about. It’s intimate, conversational, some of us are drinking bourbon, and it’s fun. The video drips with musical authenticity, and the band embrace the vibe. It’s a loving throwback to the musicals of the 40s and 50s with my look and moves are indicative of that performance style but with a freshness that makes it feel classic yet timeless.”
The first single from the album, Blossom’s Blues, has already garnered over 180,000 views on YouTube, over 75,000 Spotify streams within the first few weeks of release and has been chatted-up by jazz powerhouse and BBC radio host Jamie Cullum, who gave it a rave.
Judith, a New Orleans resident who originally hails from Wales, conceived of the project as a result of her childhood fascination with the jazz music of some of the ballsiest women of the jazz and blues world, including unsung trailblazers Nellie Lutcher and Julia Lee whom she discovered hidden on the shelves of her father’s record collection.