TJ Johnson (piano, vocals); Eleazar Ruiz Spreafico (double bass); Wesley Gibbens (drums*)
There's only one way to spend a Wednesday afternoon in King's Cross and that's to head over to Jamboree on St Chad's Place, just off Gray's Inn Road, all of two minutes' walk from King's Cross Railway Station. Three o'clock sharp, pianist and vocalist TJ Johnson holds court, some weeks performing solo, sometimes in a duo.
This week TJ pushed the boat out, it would be the TJ Johnson Trio featuring regular sparring partners, bassist Eleazar Ruiz Spreafico and drummer Wesley Gibbens. No sheet music or iPads required, TJ called the tunes and the trio played them. On the Sunny Side of the Street to You Turned the Tables on Me to Willie Nelson (including Nelson's splendidly titled Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die) and other country favourites, TJ's casual vocals and deceptively good piano playing found favour with a sizeable Wednesday afternoon crowd, including half a dozen dancing couples.
At the end of the afternoon bassist Eleazar made a sharp exit in order to get to his second gig of the day. Special mention of Wesley* who showed what could be done with nothing more a snare drum, brushes, mallets and occasional light use of sticks. TJ's long running midweek residency is a free admission affair, although invariably, the tip jar is crammed full with some of the folding stuff (this week's session was no exception). It was time to stroll over to the railway station, an East Coast mainline train would soon be heading north to the BSH heartland. Russell
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