Alice Grace Quintet @ Jazz Café - Jan. 26.

Alice Grace (vcl); Paul Gowland (ten/alt/sop); Pete Gilligan (pno); Paul Grainger (bs); Russ Morgan (dms).

(Review by Lance/photo courtesy of Mike Tilley).

Second gig in nine days for the quintet - I'd have been even happier if it had been the second gig in two days!

Like the Hoochie Coochie session a week gone Sunday this was another memorable occasion both visually and aurally. I say visually, not only because of the killer heels and the traffic stopping dress that Ms Grace had had painted on but also the changed appearance of drummer Morgan. Amazing what wonders a tonsorial artist can perform.

Aurally, there was also much musical artistry going on.

Just as Alice gave a lift to Love You Didn't Do Right by me, at Hoochie (reprised again last night), She also came up with a song from Doris Day's first film - Romance on the High Seas - It's You or No One. The film was also shown as It's Magic and that's what this was, pure magic. In particular, the Lee Konitz related unison passage between singer and sax that rounded the piece off.

So many highlights that I'd run out of superlatives if I tried to list them all; suffice to say that the tribute to you know who, Is There Life on Mars? done with just voice and piano, was right up there.

Morgan's hand drumming on Secret Love, the fours between alto and voice then voice and bass on When Lights Are Low, the scat chorus à la Sarah Vaughan on If I Knew Then What I Know Now, Gilligan's sympathetic accompaniment to Autumn Nocturne, Grainger's beard... all worthy of being noted.

This is one band that just gets better and better.
Lance.