Jill Saward

Jill Saward (born 9 December 1953) is a British singer, musician and composer, best known for being the lead voice of the English jazz-funk band, Shakatak. She recorded "Day by Day" with Al Jarreau in 1985.

Career Prior to starting her music career, Saward was a shorthand typist.

Fusion Orchestra Saward performed with the British progressive jazz rock band Fusion Orchestra, from 1969 to 1975. She wrote the music and sang.

Having gained a following of fans, the Fusion Orchestra secured a record deal with EMI, producing their first album Skeleton in Armour. It received critical acclaim upon its debut and is now a collector's item. After Fusion Orchestra split in 1975, Saward became involved in a new all-female group, Brandy, produced by Polydor, it was active for around three years, before disbanding in 1976.

Cats Whiskers and Citizen Gang Saward was spotted by band leader Nicky North who invited her to perform in the big soul funk band, Cats Whiskers. She also worked as a session singer. Saward also had a brief stint with an all-female musical group, Citizen Gang and collaborated with the Nicky North Band.

Shakatak It was in this period that she met Nigel Wright and Roger Odell, who are still components of the jazz-funk band Shakatak.

In 2008 Saward starred in Living TV's Pop Goes The Band, a reality TV show which saw former musical stars from bands including Bucks Fizz, Bananarama, Visage, Cleopatra, 911 and Chaka Khan, undergo surgery in a bid to relaunch their careers. She moved to Italy in 2008.

Discography

With Shakatak, Saward has recorded over thirty albums and released 26 singles including: Drivin' Hard (1981), Night Birds (1982) and Out of This World (1983).

Other recordings have included: Year Album