| © Sheila Herrick |
Her co-leader, Steve Glendinning, apart from being a fine guitarist also runs the Globe's educational jazz workshop programme.
Mike Clarke, although he doesn't feature in the billing provides solid support on bass guitar.
Debra, perched atop a high chair presented a well-balanced mix of standards, jazz classics and originals sung in her inimitable style with powerful guitar chording from Steve underpinning the vocals.
Thus we heard: Don't Wait Too Long; Stella by Starlight, with an extended intro from Steve; a new (to me) Dusty Springfield number, Spooky; Perdido with Steve and Debra trading fours; The Saga of Harrison Crabfeathers which was followed by the first original.
It's never easy to judge originals upon first hearing. I always need two or three listenings before I make my mind up so I'll pass judgement on Am I Missing Something? and The Imposter.
I liked Don't Know Why and the hardboiled Red Right Hand - I'll have to catch up on Peaky Blinders.
The first set closed with the Ida Cox number Wild Women Don't Have the Blues. As regular visitors to BSH will know, Nancy Harrow's classic 1960 album of the same name is one of my all-time favourite jazz vocal discs so Debra had big shoes to fill - I doubt if even Samara Joy could!
The second set followed a similar pattern and included: Dance me to the End of Love; Where Are we Going?; The Nearness of You; Too Busy For Thinkin'; Stay; Everything is Gonna be Funky (w. backing vocals) and a blistering Caravan which sent me homeward bound only to find my own particular caravan (Metro) was 39 minutes away - perhaps there were camels on the track. The 27 bus was also late so by the time I made it home I was the terrestrial version of jetlagged.
Still I'd had a pleasant evening.
Next Sunday it's the Chris Coull Quartet with trumpet ace Coull, Joe Steels (guitar), Andy Champion (bass) and John Bradford (drums). Lance
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