THANK YOU, RUTH, I WON YOUR CD AT THE JAZZATHON!

Ruth Lambert (vcl); Graeme Wilson (ten); Paul Edis (pno) Mick Shoulder (bs); Tim Johnson (dms). Yes, there were loads of prizes to choose from in the raffle, including CDs, booze, posters and tee shirts. I’m told surplus prizes are being held over for future jazz events, so watch out for those, folks.

Not only do I now have a Ruth Lambert CD to enjoy, (Easy Street) but I was also able to see the real thing live, The Ruth Lambert Quintet, who did a really enjoyable set.

They began with No Moon At All, with Paul Edis rippling on the piano to Ruth’s sensitive interpretation for the first chorus. The band continued with I’m Glad There is You, then Ruth had fun with Love Me Like A Man. Other songs included Agua de Beber, then Devil May Care, full of sly smiles and vocal curls. The set was very well balanced, as the next number was an emotional Angel Eyes, every word beautifully clear, and a sax solo to add to the lonely feel.

Ruth pointed out that everything so far had been in a minor key, so she concluded with an upbeat Secret Love with lots of vocal improvisation. This gave rise to a discussion at our table about whether Doris Day was actually still alive – sorry Doris if you’re reading this, but the man on my right had you dead and buried! The musicians, sax, piano, bass and drums, did their stuff admirably too. As Lance says, the whole day was good and it’s not really appropriate to pick anyone in particular out for praise, but I thought I’d mention Ruth as she gave me a free CD, even though she didn’t realise it at the time! Ann Alex