Ella Hohnen-Ford live streaming from home - June 13

Ella Hohnen-Ford (vocals); Helena Kay (tenor sax); Matt Robinson (piano); Will Sach (double bass)

North London on a sweltering Sunday evening. Ella Hohnen-Ford singing a set of love songs and more in the company of tenor saxophonist Helena Kay, pianist Matt Robinson and mainstay bassist Will Sach. Moonglow to begin. Is there a more composed performer than Ms Hohnen-Ford? Such assurance, singing, all the while interacting with her online audience, Ella playfully toying with a lyric a joy to hear. 

Helena Kay's tenor playing accompanied Ella's exploration of Bob Haggard's What's New? (lyrics Johnny Burke). Ms Kay possesses an old school cool sound, warm of tone, without question she's checked out the masters - Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins and, likely as not, Dexter Gordon.

HK conjured the solo of the night on Easy Living, as easy as you like, Will Sach showing his appreciation with one word - Yeah.   

As Ella introduced Matt Robinson's piano feature, one online listener suggested: This [Ella's] voice needs to be heard in New York. Ella, cool as you like replied: Well, fingers crossed. Oh, yes, the tune, from West Side Story, Somewhere with Ella's fabulous vocals. The quartet signed off with Jerome Kern's The Song is You. It had been a superb ninety minutes of music. More next Sunday (June 20) at 7:30 when Ella's guests will be Giacomo Smith, Will Arnold-Forster and the ever-present Will Sach. Russell

Set list: Moonglow; (You'd be so) Easy to Love; My Romance; I'm Beginning to See the Light; No More Blues; What's New?; Sweet and Gentle; Easy Living; I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart; Somewhere; The Song is You.