 |
| (Photos by Russell Collage by Lance) |
House of the Black Gardenia on Saturday and Ali Affleck and Friends on Sunday! What a feast for those who like their jazz to be from an earlier era.
Affleck, a vivacious American, based in Scotland but with both French and Australian ancestry (legendary operatic diva Dame Nellie Melba is Ali's great great aunt!) is truly at home in her chosen idiom - twenties/thirties jazz and blues.
Not just a singer, this most personable lady is also an entertainer who knows how to work a room by introducing each number with a story or an anecdote that nicely links the songs together.
The repertoire covered gems from Annette Hanshaw, Ethel Waters, Ma Rainey, Mildred Bailey, Maxine Sullivan and several others.
Singer, entertainer you can add historian too!
Needless to say, her Friends were the kind of friends a gal/guy needs on a gig and they proved their worth.
On trumpet, Colin Steele was last heard in these parts playing the role of Chet Baker in that iconic stage production - A Funny Valentine. I saw the show three times in different locations and thought I'd typecast Colin... As usual, I was wrong tonight he was Red Allen or maybe some other pre-bop firebrand. Whatever, on open horn he wailed, on plunger he growled. Talk about a man for all seasons! Apart from Chet and Red I bet he does a mean Miles too!
In the absence of a drummer the impetus was on bassman Roy Percy to hold it all together which he did to perfection and his incredible double-time slap-bass solos were guaranteed crowd pleasers.
And then there was local boy Bradley Johnston who, like Steele, can float stylistically. Metheny, Eddie Lang, Django, he's got their measure. Ali exclaimed, "I want to take him home with me!"
Did they have a pre-gig rehearsal? Maybe but, given the time factor it must have been minimal and yet they gelled as if they'd been playing together since time began.
Quite a night! You've got to hand it to The Jazz Co-op and The Globe these Sunday night sessions just go from strength to strength. Lance
When You're Smiling (trio); Loveless Love; I Get the Blues when it Rains; Diga Diga Do;Someday Sweetheart; St. Louis Blues; Ain't Misbehavin'; Poor Papa; Ain't no Man Worth the Salt of my Tears; Exactly Like You; Please Don't Talk About me When I'm Gone/Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue; Handyman Blues; I Cried For You; I'll Fly Away + a couple of numbers that Ali sang in French.
1 comment :
I just checked with Ali - the two French numbers were both made famous by Django. Coucou was recorded by the Quintette du Hot Club with Josette Dayde. Menilmontant was written by Charles Trenet in the late 1930's - again, Django recorded it many times.
Post a Comment