Little more than a stone's throw from the Spice of Life stands Cafe Boheme. A corner site on Old Compton Street, the place exudes cool. Quite what your correspondent was doing there is anyone's guess! Actually, half an hour after the Gators' gig on Moor Street, none other than pianist TJ Johnson was knocking out tunes at 'Boheme' to an appreciative audience of dyed-in-the-wool jazz fans, cool looking types and even cooler looking staff.
TJ is nothing if not casual and genial with an appealing line in self-depreciation. All of this could, possibly does, deceive some listeners. A fine pianist (left hand doing much of the work), a laid back vocal style, TJ turned from GASbook numbers to country songs and back again with consummate ease. Taking requests engaged his audience (Fly Me to the Moon), in other words, TJ is the ideal performer for a Monday afternoon gig like this.
TJ's hour-long first set included: Nice Work if You Can Get It; Stormy Monday (on a cold but bright Soho afternoon); a casual Just in Time; Summer Wind (more TJ than Sinatra); Sweet Georgia Brown; On the Sunny Side of the Street.
It would have been nice to hang around for TJ's second set, however, an eagerly anticipated gig up on Dean Street was fast approaching... Russell
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