Jo Harrop, Adrian Cox & Joe Webb @ Hampstead Jazz Club - Nov. 23

Jo Harrop (vocals); Adrian Cox (clarinet, vocals); Joe Webb (piano)

Jo Harrop presents an evening of jazz with ...

Jo Harrop has a close affinity with Hampstead Jazz Club and this evening her invited guests were two of the busiest musicians on the London Jazz scene. Adrian Cox and Joe Webb joined Jo on stage in one of the country's smallest venues. 

The brick-lined cellar below the Duke of Hamilton pub in Hampstead was standing room only as Jo opened the first of two sets with I've Got the World on a String. Jo in great voice, she couldn't have wished for two better characters to be by her side. Tenderly; Where or When?, the standards flowed coupled with a smattering of original numbers.

Sweet Marijuana Brown, sung by clarinetist Adrian Cox, offered vocal contrast, the first of several opportunities during the evening. Joe Webb played a blinder all evening, his stride piano absolutely mesmerising. 

Jo revealed that she and Joe had played one and a half gigs together, the 'half gig' being a function engagement cut short due to the organiser's desire to get the DJ on stage! As for Jo and Adrian, this was a long-awaited pairing, and it's highly likely we'll see them working together in future. 

Hampstead Jazz Club, five minutes' walk from Hampstead Underground Station, is the place to hear musicians up close. Jo Harrop frequently perfoms at the venue and the venue's many guest artists are invariably of A-list calibre. A visit is unreservedly recommended. Russell