TJ Johnson (piano, vocals); Al Nicholls (tenor sax)
On a Wednesday afternoon you can find TJ Johnson gigging at Jamboree. It's the pianist's weekly residency on St Chad's Place, tucked away off Gray's Inn Road, near to where Mole Jazz Records used to be. Most weeks TJ will have a guest or two drop by, this week, from the down beat, he was joined by his long-time musical buddy, tenor saxophonist Al Nicholls.
A renovated industrial building of some sort, Jamboree is light and airy, there is a stage, stage lighting, an upright piano and a bar serving refreshments - coffees, teas and alcohol. A bottle of 'Jamboree' at London prices, a bar stool seat, the sun streaming in through the windows, TJ and Al kicked off with Swanee River. It's likely TJ has hundreds of tunes in his head. This afternoon, without recourse to sheet music, our pianist played and sang a selection, seemingly plucked from memory, Al quite happy to play whatever TJ suggested.
Do You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans? , Lazy River, At Long Last Love, Some of These Days, all performed with a casual air. And that's the thing, TJ's presentation is ever so casual, relaxed. Perhaps it's just how he is, on the other hand, it could be a carefully crafted thing, honed down the years. And then there's Al Nicholls, equally relaxed, filling, then booting as required.
The Will Jennings/Joe Sample number When It All Comes Down (I'll Still Be Around) as sung by BB King, hit the spot, perhaps the tune of the afternoon. Sweet Sue, Stardust (suggested by one of TJ's regular Jamboree punters) and to close a cracking afternoon, the Pete Johnson/Joe Turner classic Roll 'Em Pete. Russell
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