There are few places quite like Soho on a warm summer evening. As the working day fades and the weekend edges into view, the streets take on a life of their own. Office workers spill from pubs onto crowded pavements, restaurant terraces fill with conversation and laughter, and every corner seems alive with possibility.
Emerging from Leicester Square
Underground station and heading towards Chinatown, Soho was enjoying one of
those glorious summer evenings that seem uniquely London. The late sunshine
lingered between the buildings, casting a warm glow across the streets as
people gathered for a drink before making their way home for the weekend.
Passing beneath the red lanterns of Chinatown and cutting through the heart of
Soho towards Frith Street, the unmistakable buzz of the neighbourhood
surrounded us. Outside Café Boheme on Old Compton Street, diners spilled onto
the pavement, glasses clinked and conversation drifted effortlessly into the
warm evening air. It felt as though the whole of Soho had decided to stay out
just a little longer before surrendering to the night.
Just a few minutes away, Upstairs at
Ronnie Scott’s provided a very different but equally intoxicating atmosphere.
Ronnie’s has long been a destination for Emma Rawicz. During her formative
years studying first at Chetham’s School of Music and later at the Royal Academy
of Music, the club represented both a classroom and a benchmark, a place where
aspiring musicians came to learn from those already operating at the highest
level. To return now as one of the headline artists featured during the
inaugural season of Ronnie Scott’s new Upstairs venue felt entirely fitting and
perhaps offered a quiet reminder of just how far she has travelled in a
remarkably short space of time.
Upstairs at Ronnie's has quickly
established itself as one of London's most compelling listening rooms. Climb
the stairs from the bustle of Frith Street and the atmosphere changes almost
instantly. The newly reimagined space wraps itself around the audience with
gently tiered seating, ensuring every table enjoys an uninterrupted view of the
stage whilst maintaining an intimacy that many larger venues can only dream of.
Above, a beautifully crafted acoustic ceiling, dressed with decorative fabric
panels and geometric detailing, is as much a feature of the room as it is part
of its remarkable sound. Warm pools of light spill from the table lamps,
casting a golden glow across the room and creating an environment that
encourages concentration without ever feeling formal. The sound itself is
exceptional. Every note arrives with clarity and presence, whether from the
softest brushwork on a cymbal or the most delicate passage from a soloist,
allowing the audience to lean into the performance rather than be overwhelmed
by it. Add to this the excellent food and drinks programme curated by executive
chef Steven Connolly and it becomes clear why so many have spoken so positively
about the venue during its first few months. Upstairs at Ronnie's feels less
like a second room above a famous jazz club and more like a destination in its
own right; a beautifully conceived modern listening space built for audiences
who still appreciate the simple pleasure of giving music their full attention.
Rawicz’s rise over the last four or five
years has been little short of meteoric. Few musicians arrive with such
velocity. Emma Rawicz did not discover jazz until her mid-teens and only picked
up the tenor saxophone at sixteen, yet within a handful of years she had
progressed from talented student to one of the defining voices of a new
generation of British jazz. What usually takes a decade or more has unfolded in
little more than five years, her rise driven not by hype but by an
extraordinary combination of musicianship, compositional ambition and an
appetite for projects that many more established artists would hesitate to
attempt.
What struck me most throughout the
evening was not simply the brilliance of her playing, but the confidence with
which she now occupies the stage. Here is an artist who has grown comfortably
into her role as composer, bandleader and storyteller. The introductions
between pieces revealed a musician eager to share the inspirations behind her
work, whether drawn from literature, language, travel, philosophy or simple
moments of humour and human observation.
Throughout the evening, literature, language and imagination sat comfortably alongside the music. Ian McEwan inspired one composition, Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 another. A fascination with language led to an exploration of the Japanese word Komorebi, describing the effect of sunlight filtering through the leaves of a forest. Elsewhere there were reflections on Berlin winters, Brazilian music, food additives and even the possibility of marshmallows growing on trees. In lesser hands such diverse influences might have felt disconnected. Rawicz somehow made them feel entirely natural, offering a fascinating glimpse into the creative process behind her writing.
Yet for all the warmth and humour of the
introductions, it was the music itself that ultimately commanded attention.
From the opening notes of Animal Rising, it was immediately
apparent that this was a quartet operating at an exceptionally high level.
Rawicz’s compositions provided the framework, but the success of the
performance lay in the collective contribution of four outstanding musicians,
each afforded the space to shape and develop the narrative of the music.
Pianist Scottie Thompson was magnificent
throughout. His playing combined lyricism, imagination and technical brilliance
in equal measure. There were moments when his touch felt almost orchestral,
creating colours and textures beneath the melodies before stepping forward with
solos of remarkable invention and clarity. His contribution to the evening
cannot be overstated.
Behind him, Marc Michel delivered a
masterclass in modern jazz drumming. Possessing an extraordinary sense of
momentum and musical awareness, his playing moved effortlessly between subtle
textures and explosive energy. Yet it was perhaps the lightness of his touch
that impressed most. In the intimate surroundings of ‘Upstairs at Ronnie
Scott’s, where the audience leaned into the performance and the room was often
so attentive that you felt you could hear a pin drop, every nuance of his
playing became apparent. Michel demonstrated remarkable control and sensitivity
throughout, allowing the music to breathe whilst never losing its forward
momentum. His solos never felt like interruptions to the flow of the music;
rather they became an extension of the compositions themselves, pushing the
narrative forward and producing some of the evening’s most exhilarating
moments.
Freddie Jensen’s bass work provided the
perfect foundation throughout. Supportive, melodic and endlessly musical, his
playing anchored the quartet whilst contributing significantly to the
conversational nature of the performance. Together, the three musicians created
an environment in which Rawicz’s compositions could fully breathe.
At the centre of it all stood Rawicz
herself. By now it almost goes without saying that she is one of the most
accomplished saxophonists of her generation. Her command of both tenor and
soprano saxophone is extraordinary, her improvisations displaying technical
fluency, emotional depth and a maturity far beyond her years. Yet what
impressed most was her development as a composer and bandleader. These are no
longer simply vehicles for improvisation; they are fully realised musical
landscapes rich in imagery, narrative and character.
Whether drawing inspiration from the
filtered sunlight of Komorebi, the literary absurdity of Yossarian Lives, the
wistful reflections of Last of the Evening Light or the joyful whimsy of The
Marshmallow Tree, Rawicz demonstrated a remarkable ability to transform ideas
from far beyond the traditional jazz canon into music that feels both
accessible and deeply personal.
As the final notes of Chorinho Pra
Hermeto drifted away, the audience answered with enthusiastic and heartfelt
applause. For a few moments nobody seemed in any hurry to leave. There was a
palpable sense that we had witnessed more than simply an excellent jazz
performance. We had seen an artist continuing to evolve before our eyes,
increasingly comfortable in her own skin and increasingly confident in inviting
audiences into her creative world.
For ninety minutes above one of the
world’s most celebrated jazz clubs, Emma Rawicz reminded us that great jazz is
about far more than technical accomplishment. It is about curiosity,
communication, imagination and the ability to tell stories without words.
Stepping back out into the warm Soho
evening, the streets were every bit as alive as they had been on the journey
in. The bars remained busy, conversations spilled onto the pavements and the
city showed little sign of slowing down. Yet somehow the noise felt a little
different. Perhaps that is one of the gifts of evenings such as this. For a
short while, Emma Rawicz and her exceptional quartet had invited us into their
world; a world shaped by literature, language, travel, humour and extraordinary
musicianship. As the sounds of Soho reclaimed the night, the melodies and
stories lingered a little longer.
If this performance was any indication, Emma Rawicz’s remarkable journey is still gathering momentum. Glenn Wright
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