SHE vowed to return for the 60th anniversary of Eastleigh’s Concorde Club.

True to her word and much to the delight of the Stoneham Lane club’s jazz aficionados, American Grammy nominated songstress Stacey Kent will be back on Wednesday.

She has been a regular Concorde headliner since 1997 and her latest appearance comes hard on the heels of a run at London’s legendary Ronnie Scott’s nightclub.

With a legion of fans worldwide, the jazz star has a string of awards including BBC jazz award for best vocalist and she has presented jazz programmes for BBC Radio 2 and 3.

She is a jazz singer in the mould of the greats. Her musical journey began in her childhood with piano lessons. An unusually keen ear and true voice lead her to take part in school musical productions. Throughout her time at New York’s Sarah Lawrence College she could often be heard singing at impromptu musical events in the campus cafe.

After graduating she moved to England and while studying at London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama she met tenor saxophonist Jim Tomlinson whom she married.

In the early 1990s, Stacey began her professional career singing regularly at Café Boheme in London's Soho. After two or three years, she began opening for established jazz acts across the road at the Ronnie Scott's nightclub in London.

Her first album Close Your Eyes was released in 1997, followed by a series of other albums and she has featured on three of Tomlinson's albums, including The Lyric (2006), which won Album of the Year at the 2006 BBC Jazz Awards and was re-released on Blue Note in 2011.

Stacey’s music was championed by critic and jazz trumpet legend Humphrey Lyttelton. She won the 2001 British Jazz Award and the 2002 BBC Jazz Award for Best Vocalist.

Kent's album, The Boy Next Door, achieved Gold album status in France in September, 2006 and Breakfast On The Morning Tram(2007) gained Platinum album status in France in November, 2007 and was nominated for Best Vocal Jazz Album at the 2009 Grammy Awards.

She continues to tour with sold-out concerts and festival appearances around the world.

Tickets: 023 8061 3989 or visit theconcordeclub.com