Joe Stilgoe (piano/vocal); Tom Mason (bass); Ben Reynolds (drums).
(Review by Lance).
(Review by Lance).
Without reaching the highs of my last two gigs (Greg Spero @ The Bridge/Jason Isaacs @ City Hall) Stilgoe's trip down the aisles of bygone Odeons and ABC cinemas was, nevertheless, a pleasing enough experience. Leading his musicians on stage with a torch - presumably to simulate an usherette - he immediately launched into a medley of cartoon themes, some of which I recognised some of which I didn't.
The Way You Look Tonight, Blue Skies (with a Zippity Do Dah interlude), Make 'em Laugh, Almost Like Being in Love, Wonderful World, 'S Wonderful, Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head, Arthur's Theme, High Hopes were the gist of the program that followed. Good singing, fine piano playing and impressive bass and drums.
The format was more or less the same for the second set. It Had to be You, Surrey With The Fringe, Randy Newman's When Somebody Loved Me and an unmiked vocal on Dream a Little Dream were some of highlights. There was also a couple of his own compositions and a final medley built around tunes shouted out by the audience. The disparate choices which included What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life, As Time Goes By, Time Warp and King of the Swingers were cleverly interwoven.
This may not have been a jazz gig as such but the jazz was always there, bubbling just below and occasionally just above the surface.
Lance.
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