I caught up with Sheila Jordan after her gig at Ray's Jazz

On Wednesday at the Bull's Head, the legendary jazz songstress Sheila Jordan celebrates her 81st birthday. She is still at the very top of her profession and I've heard several of her concerts in Britain this year, where she combines a love of authentic 1940s bebop with ballads that tell deep stories of the human experience. She's also appearing at several other London Jazz Festival gigs in a variety of settings. I can think of few other singers who so expertly adapt to the room in which they're playing, but remain completely themselves. Sheila takes amazing liberties with the melodic line of a song, with time, with harmony, and yet she always manages to stay true to the original - perhaps because she is a true original herself. I spoke to her after her Saturday lunchtime gig at Ray's Jazz.

Listen to our conversation.