Dave Weisser (tpt/vcl), Doug Fielder (ten), Steve Whitfield (pno), Barry Ascroft (bs), Rob Bates (dms + Gabrielle (vcl).
Last week Frau Gabrielle sang Imagination and we all said that that was PDG. This week, better prepared with dots for all, Gabrielle really wowed the coterie of Chilli aficionados with Black Coffee and Bye Bye Blackbird.
This was no decaffeinated coffee it was roasted, strong and sugar free whilst the blackbird was the one that left the other four and twenty baking in a pie whilst she flew the coop and landed in Birdland alongside Miles.
Catch her again.
Apart from Gaby, Steve Whitfield once again played some power piano whilst Dave too had his moments on standards such as If I Were A Bell, Love Walked In, Night in Tunisia, Cannonball's Nippon Blues, Waltz For Debby to name but a few...
Waltz for Debby, Bill Evans' ode to his daughter is one of the most delicate emotional pieces in the jazz canon. I first heard it sung by Carol Kidd at an Edinburgh Jazz Festival back in the '80s and it brought tears to my eyes. Likewise, listening to Bill Evans' version transports me to Elysium Fields (Metro doesn't go there yet). Coincidentally, the lyricist who supplied the words to Debby, Gene Lees, died earlier this week.
In fact I suspect the thunder I heard in my head may have been Bill and Gene turning over in their respective graves.
This was no elegiac bouquet to a child - this was the regulars at Joe's Place toasting a Lower East Side hooker with a bottle of Green River!
It was up-tempo, it was 3 in a bar - it was 3 in a bed - it swung - it was the best number of the night!
Next week the Alan Glen Trio.
Lance.
1 comment :
I didn't get to the Chilli cos I'm always busy on Wednesdays, but I've had the pleasure of backing Gaby on a few occasions. She's a confident and subtle interpreter of songs, and I hope we all hear more of her.
Gaby attends the Blue Jazz Voices course at the Sage. It's worth checking out.
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