Not a Vintage Spice

There's nowhere better I like to visit when I'm in London on a Wednesday night than the Spice of Life.

The crowd was smaller than usual - possibly because Arsenal were in European action. Paul Pace got the ball rolling with You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To and Cristina Rubio impressed with Sometimes I'm Happy, Imagination, The Masquerade is Over and a couple of pieces by McCoy Tyner and Chick Corea.

So far so good.

Next up was the headliner - The Aimua Eghobamien Quartet.

This was a tribute to Louis Armstrong.

Aimua is a great singer but not, to my ears, a jazz singer - whatever that is!

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed his set but it was nearer Johnny Mathis than Louis Armstrong.

The open mic set saw the the conveyer belt roll out Maxine, Wendy, Myrna, Amanda, Sian, Clive Raven, Jean - a Frenchman who sang an original of his entitled (I think) L'arme chaud - and Jo. All sang well but nothing hit me the way they usually do.

The exception was the trio of Rick Simpson (pno), Jerome Davies (bs) and Rod Jones (dms).

They swung!

Photos. Lance.