EFG London Jazz Festival – Incognito – Hideaway Streatham 22/11/2018

The United Nations of Incognito arrived in South London to play an acoustic set and left with the noise of a sell-out Hideaway audience ringing in their ears.

My wife and I first saw Incognito play in 2009 at their 30th anniversary concert, we have been fans ever since. Members of the group change almost every time we see them but the quality of the music is always high and the band’s founder Bluey is an ever present.

This performance was excellent, funky jazz at its best. The show started and finished with their most famous song ‘Always There’, the first version was slower than the original. In between they played an array of numbers some penned by Bluey, others by the likes of Stevie Wonder, Roy Ayres and Christopher Cross.

I usually prefer vocal numbers to instrumentals but last night the instrumentals were outstanding. Unfortunately I do not remember all the names of the 12 strong ensemble but they were all excellent. There was a great solo by keyboard player Matt Cooper and an amazing lengthy drum box interlude performed by Joao Caetano and Francesco Mendolia, I feared for their hands when they had finished. I suspect that there was quite a lot of improvisation on the instrumental numbers but it sounded fantastic. Francisco Sales and Bluey played acoustic guitars with Francis Hylton on bass. There was a three man brass section and three vocalists.

I particularly enjoyed hearing Joy Rose sing again, I had not seen her since April last year, she has a smile that could light up the darkest room and a voice that has a rich tone.

The acoustic set worked well and Bluey’s chat on topics such as the migration of sparrows, live music and Brexit was entertaining. As always Bluey implored us all to continue to support live music, something that we have been doing successfully this year as this was our 93rd gig of the year.

Playing acoustically or electrified Incognito are a must see for any lover of jazz funk.

Album review- The Kingdom Choir ‘Stand By Me’

The Kingdom Choir won hearts around the world with their Royal Wedding performance, many of these hearts have been eagerly awaiting their album. Stand By Me was worth the wait.

My heart was not won at the wedding, I watched the wedding because the choir are there, my heart was won with two 2016 606 club appearances.
A great choir consists of many wonderful solo voices joined together to sound like one, at times the sound can be so good that it exceeds the sum of the individual parts. A great album is made up of individually great songs combining to give a magnificent listening experience. This is a great choir with a great album.

They have been bold, they have taken fourteen well known songs and created versions that stand well when compared with the originals. My favourite songs are John Legends ‘All of Me’, Stormzy’s ‘Blinded by Your Grace Pt2’, Labi Sifre’s ‘Something Inside So Strong’ and Beyonce’s ‘Halo’. I enjoyed the original versions of these songs but The Kingdom Choir have amazingly reached the same level with their choral arrangements. The fifteenth song which is an original ‘Chases’ is of a very high standard too.
Gospel music fans may be disappointed that the only traditional gospel song on the album is ‘Amazing Grace’ but The Kingdom Choir are trying to bring Gospel singing to the masses and I believe that this will be huge success.

The choir is bigger than the one I saw at the 606, anyone who knows the club will tell you that to get 4 musicians and 12 singers on stage is a challenge. 32 choir members are listed in the album notes. I have seen many Gospel Choirs but the choir I heard at the 606 was the best I had ever heard. Some of the choir have established musical careers including Wayne Hernandez, Wayne Ellington and Tracey-Jane Campbell, others have fledgling solo careers. I own Sharlene-Monique’s EP ‘Destiny’ and Mariam’s EP ‘Heart to Heart ‘. Listen to ‘You’ from Destiny and ‘Running from Heart to Heart. ‘Running’ is one of my favourite songs of the decade, it is that good.

I would recommend that you listen to the album and go see the choir perform if you get the chance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EFG London Jazz Festival – Kandace Springs – Queen Elizabeth Hall -17/11/2018

A sell out Queen Elizabeth Hall audience were treated to an evening of wonderful music by Kandace Springs and were sent home feeling happy and relaxed.

My wife and I first saw Kandace perform when she supported Gregory Porter at the Royal Albert Hall in 2016. We were impressed and saw her later that year at the Union Chapel. In the subsequent two years Kandace has grown into a very accomplished performer.

Kandace is a wonderful pianist and keyboard player and could thrill an audience without ever singing. Her voice is silky smooth and, whatever maybe happening in the world outside,  it creates a very relaxed atmosphere and an escape to a very comfortable place.

This show featured songs from both of  her albums, ‘Soul Eyes’ and ‘Indigo’. My favourites were ‘Place to Hide’, ‘ Novacaine Heart’ and ‘The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face’. I had the pleasure of seeing Roberta Flack sing the latter song over 45 years ago at the Hammersmith Odeon, the arrangement to Ewan MacColl’s song was fantastic, it gave me goosebumps. Last night’s performance by Kandace was equally as moving as and transmitted the raw emotion of the song to her audience.

This performance that lasted over ninety minutes was one of the best we have seen in 2018. Kandace Springs is singer, song-writer, pianist and performer to watch over the coming years.

 

 

EFG London Jazz Festival – Imaani with Nate Williams – 606 Club Chelsea 16/11/2018

Imaani got the ERG Jazz Festival season at the 606 off to a flying start with a great performance ably assisted by Nate Williams and a magificent band.

Imaani has one of the UK’s best soul voices, in fact her voice is capable of singing most genres but by her own admission she does not sing jazz, however this did not stop her launching the London Jazz Festival at the 606 for the sixth time. She sang many of her own compositions some from her album ‘Standing Tall’. Nate Williams shared the stage during both sets featuring songs from his album ‘Got to Let Go’ and his recent EP ‘Them & Us ‘.  He has soulful voice and played keyboard and piano, the quality of his voice was best illustrated on his slower numbers especially ‘Miss You ‘. He started with Imaani on his composition ‘DTMB’.

Imaani shone especially singing her own ‘Just for a Day’ (the first song she ever wrote) ‘Let’s Do It Right’ and ‘Resolution’, a song she wrote and recorded with Incognito. She sang an interesting version of Rihanna’s ‘Diamonds’ dedicated to her nine-year old son, the song had a piece of Michael Jackson’s ‘Human Nature’ spliced in.

The band : Lex Cameron (keyboard and piano), Emlyn Francis (Guitar), Francis Hylton (Six strong bass) and Daniel John (Drums) were outstanding and enhanced the songs on both performers.

A memorable evening.

Arrested Development – 606 Club Chelsea 12/11/2018

The 606 Club was jumping to the sounds of Arrested Development, a night that was totally different to a normal night in this small Chelsea Jazz Club.

I could not call myself an Arrested Development fan, I remember their excellent rework of the Sly and The Family Stone classic ‘Everyday People’ but know little else of their work but curiosity got the better of me and I had to see a group of their stature playing in such a small venue.

The 606 was packed and as soon as the band took to the stage and Fareedah Aleem danced her way through the jam packed room the audience was energised, the energy inspired the band and for seventy minutes the place was rocking.

I did not know many of the songs but during the non-stop performance, they certainly sang ‘Revolution’ and ‘Ease my Mind’, and ‘People Everyday’ and there were samples of other well known songs including Bob Marley’s ‘One Love’. Speech’s vocals were the hub around which everything turned, supported by excellent vocals from One Love, Tasha LaRae and Fareedah. Eric Dozier played keys, Corey Raymond drums and William Montgomery bass.  The band provided the excellent platform for the vocalists to sing and involve the audience who always responded with vigour. William was remarkable because he kept his cool  persona whilst the rest of the room was going crazy.

When the set finished the audience rightly stood, applauded and hollered their appreciation.

After the show Fareedah shook hands with most of the audience and stayed on stage and was photographed with many individuals, we saw this all happening in front of our table. I am not sure how much the other band members interacted but I would be surprised if they did not. It was a night when due to the closeness the audience and band were one, creating an incredibly electric atmosphere.

This was a night I will remember, I may never buy any of Arrested Development’s music but I would definitely go see them perform again, I wish the energy in the room could have been bottled.

Gospel Blues – Pizza Express Holborn 11/11/2018

This was a gig to remember with the first set of the show being the best Gospel Blues set that I have seen, the standard dropped slightly in the second set but overall it was on a par with the best.

The singers for this show were Daniel Thomas, Beverley Skeete and Faye Simpson accompanied by the band consisting of Jason Thompson (keyboard and musical director), John Jackson (drums), Kenny Barry (guitar) and Clint Williams (Bass).

Faye kicked things off with a stunning version of ‘Oh Happy Day’ which featured lots of audience participation and felt more like a closing song than the opener. In baseball parlance Faye knocked the song out of the park. The question was how could that be followed? The answer came from Daniel with a great version of ‘Go Down Moses’ followed by Beverley’s cover of the Staples ‘People Get Ready’ which I felt was even better than her version at the Pheasantry in October. The level was maintained by Faye with ‘You Got a Friend’, Daniel’s take of ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’ and Beverley with a great version of ‘I Put a Spell On You’. The set closed with Faye singing ‘Let’s Stay Together’ and Daniel with a rousing ‘Going Up Yonder’. I find it hard to believe that the set could have been bettered.

I thought that the second set, although it was good, did not reach the level and intensity of the first set. There were however a couple of highlights, firstly Beverley singing ‘Tears From Heaven’ a song she dedicated to her brother who was killed in Kenya when serving with the SAS and all those who lost their lives serving their countries. It was a very emotional performance that took courage to perform and deserved its standing ovation. Faye immediately followed that song with a great version of ‘Shackles’.

Overall it was another Gospel Blue success. Once again the ability of all three singers to improvise just added to the overall experience. The audience gave the performers a deserved rousing send off.

 

Mo Pleasure Band- Hideaway Streatham 09/11/2018

The Mo Pleasure Band lived up to their name. They sent home a packed Hideaway audience home with smiles on their faces.

The band started with two instrumentals, one of which was ‘Chicken’, they were lengthy and allowed each member of the band to demonstrate their skills playing their instruments. Mo Pleasure on bass, Luke Smith keyboard, Mike Brown guitar, Jamie Michael Harris sax, Tuca Milan percussion and an excellent drummer whose name I did not catch. Their funky groove set the tone for the first set.

Ivy Chanel and backing singers Nathan Lewis and Lois Graham then joined the band bringing their vocal skills to the stage. Ivy’s voice is clear and beautiful. She sang ‘Free’  Deniece Williams’ hit  before moving on to her self-penned ‘Carried Away’. The set closed with two Luke Smith songs ‘Think Before You Leave’ and ‘True Love’ sung by Ivy.

The second set opener continued the funky groove with the Mo Pleasure instrumental ‘Talking’. The vocalists returned to the stage, Mo and Luke swapped roles and the tempo was slowed down. There was a grand keyboard intro to ‘Now That I’ve Found You’, a song Mo wrote about finding his birth mother. It was a gorgeous song reminiscent of the closing song of a Disney cartoon with Prince Mo rescuing his Princess Ivy, only the strings were missing. The male backing vocalist, Otty Warmann joined Ivy to sing Roberta Flack’ Donny Hathaway’s.’The Closer I Get to You’ before the tempo was upped again. The set ended with Mo’s ‘Cruising’ and ‘Rain on My Window Pane’ and Luke Smith’s ‘Going Home’.

The band returned to perform an encore of Michael Jackson’s ‘Rock With You’ and left  with a rousing ovation from the audience.

A pleasurable night with so much talent performing on one small stage.

Soul II Soul – London Paladium 28/10/2018

Soul II Soul thrilled a packed London Palladium as they played the London leg of their 30th Anniversary tour.

Their set was a nostalgic look back over there 30 year career featuring the vocal styles of Caron Wheeler, Charlotte Kelly and Jazzie B. They were supported by a magnificent ensemble of Guitar, Bass, Two keyboards, Percussion, Drums, two violins and three backing singers.

The set started with a new version of ‘Back to Life’ and the pace never let up. They sang such classics as ‘A Dreams A Dream’, Missing You’ and ‘Get a Life’ . The most poignant moment was when they dedicated ‘Wish’ to the late great Melissa Bell with Jazzy B making a plea for more blood donors to come forward.

They finished as they started with ‘Back to Life’, this time in its original version.

The collective are all hugely talented and together they created magnificent high energy music.

Highly recommended.

 

Beverley Skeete (with Michelle John and Daniel Thomas) – The Pheasantry Chelsea 26/10/2018

Any show that features Beverley Skeete supported by Michelle John and Daniel Thomas was certain to be good, the only question to be answered was just how good.

My wife and I have seen Beverley perform a number of times and she always delivers a strong show. We have been following Michelle since before her Voice adventure and know Daniel through his Gospel Blues shows. The chemistry between the three was excellent and they certainly brought the best out of each other.

The show consisted of two ten song sets with Daniel and Michelle taking the lead on three songs and Beverley four. Beverley opened the show with the gospel song ‘People Get Ready’. My favourite songs of hers were the first half closer, the self penned ‘ Lookin in the Mirror’ and the second half opener ‘ I Put a Spell on You’ which are probably the best vocal performances that I’ve heard from her. She closed the show with the Incognito classic ‘Always There’. During this she sang introductions to the band who gave very strong support, Emlyn Francis on guitar, Adam Saunders on piano and keys, Clint Williams on bass and Stefan Brown on drums.

Michelle sang as powerfully as ever, excelling on ‘Get Here’ and ‘Purple Rain’ with ‘Priceless’ bringing back memories of her performance the first time we saw her with the 606 Gospel Group. Daniel was feeling unwell but was still very good, excelling on ‘So Amazing’ and always looking to improvise which is his strength.

This night lived up to expectations and received a deserved raucous ovation when it finished.

 

 

The Etta James Story – Cadogan Hall 22/10/2018

This was the 23rd and final night of Vika Bull and the Essential RandB Band’s ‘Etta James Story UK tour and fittingly it ended with a standing ovation from the Cadogan Hall audience.
Somehow Etta James’ music passed me by when she was alive. I remember Chicken Shack covering ‘ I’d Rather Go Blind’ in the 60’s but I had not developed a love of the blues at the time. It was when I heard Ruby Turner sing the same song and talk warmly about Etta James that sparked my interest.
The show had a narrative of Etta’s troubled life between many of her songs. We learned of Etta’s troubled childhood, her struggles to find love, her addictions to drugs and alcohol and her times in prison. However through the strife her music was the constant factor.
Vika Bull sang with energy, strength and raw emotion and her performance was first class. She excelled when singing those much covered songs ‘ I’d Rather Go Blind’ and ‘ At Last’ and was superbly supported by the band.
This is show that I would recommend to any lover of good music and I would imagine that Etta James fans would be delighted that her music is being showcased once again.