Eva
Fox (vocals); Jude Murphy (double bass, vocals); Steve Chambers (keys); Sid
White (drums). + Steve Glendinning (guitars); David Gray (trumpet,
trombone)
© Colin Muirhead
The latest in the series
of Thursday evening gigs at the Black Swan saw the return of Eva Fox and her
band, the Sound Hounds. Eva describes
her music as being a mixture of traditional jazz and old & new songs
arranged in jazz styles. All these elements
were well represented and delivered with panache at the Black Swan.
Two aspects of the music stood out for me. Firstly, the willingness to adopt fresh arrangements of well-known songs, such as a very funky version of Leonard Cohen’s Dance Me to the End of Love and a bluesy version of Billie Eilish’s Bad Guy. Secondly, the way in which the blues permeated many of the songs and gave them extra edge and energy. On 1970s' classics Sugar Man and He Brings the Rain in particular, all the musicians were clearly having a great time!
Speaking of whom … Eva’s
singing ranged from impassioned on the likes of I Can’t Get Started and Fumblin’ with the Blues, to swinging on Satin Doll, and was convincing
throughout. Jude Murphy provided fine
support on bass and assured lead vocals on Everything I do is Gonna be Funky; Sid
White kept time expertly throughout the evening; and Steve Chambers had the
time of his life on keys, especially on the funky tunes! Plus, the evening was made even better by two
special guests. Steve Glendinning
provided strong support and delivered an outstanding performance on Latin
guitar for Girl with One Eye (far better than Florence + the Machine’s
version, in my view). As for David Gray,
his soulful solos on both trumpet and trombone enriched songs such as Your
Heart is as Black as Night and Teach me Tonight, while he was more than willing
and able to bring the “dirty blues” (his words) to the likes of Angel Eyes.
All in all, a highly
enjoyable evening, much appreciated by those present. This was the first time I had heard Eva Fox and
the Sound Hounds, and I was very impressed.
Be sure to catch them live – you won’t be disappointed! Colin Muirhead
Set list: ‘Deed I Do; There
Will Never be Another You; Your Heart is as Black as Night; Dance Me to the End
of Love; Everything I do is Gonna be Funky; Bad Guy; I Can’t Get Started;
Girl with One Eye; Fumblin’ with the Blues; Sugar Man; Teach me Tonight; He Brings
the Rain; Satin Doll; That Old Black Magic; Angel Eyes; Stormy Monday.
No comments :
Post a Comment