Linda Lewis  Live In Old Smokey

This CD is a live recording made at Ronnie Scott’s club in London, however it is not a jazz recording.

I remember 46 years ago when the original Ronnie Scott’s Club opened. It was not in the current Frith Street location but a few streets away in Chinatown. When the ‘New’ club opened the ‘Old Place’ kept going for a while. The ‘New’ concentrated on a lot of big US names while the ‘Old Place’ featured some local talent.

Now as you read this Ronnie Scott’s has just closed for a couple of months for major refurbishment. Some years ago the solely ‘Jazz’ environment was slackened and non jazz artists got to play there. I am told that one of the first was Linda Lewis in the seventies. I know not if she has played there since until this date in the recent timeframe.

She owes much of her influence to Joni Mitchell, Marvin Gaye and even Stevie Wonder. I must admit I asked to see this CD on the strength of the venue and not on the name of the artist. While this is certainly towards the edge of my musical enjoyment, I can still appreciate the voice and certainly the music by some very talented musicians. There are 14 tracks on this CD. The first 13 are all new to me but the www.lindalewis.co.uk  site tells me that only three are previously unreleased they are I Don’t Do Don’t, Waving and I Keep a Wish. The one tune I knew was the last track the standard Can’t Help Lovin’ That Man Of Mine.

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For those keen to catch her live a range of dates are on the website. This week she is at the Pizza on the Park in Knightsbridge. Follow the link below to hear a sample, it can also be purchased there for £9.99 +p&p.

http://www.themusicindex.com/commerce/system/store.htm enter “Linda Lewis” in the search and then you can hear samples of two tracks from the CD.

Jazz in or near London

I tend to visit various London venues and there are a lot of free performances around, if you are in the Greater London area I can heartily recommend the http://www.jazzinlondon.net/JIL/JILfrontpage.htm link and download the months listings. I live a little to the south, and, a place called Tadworth is not that many miles away. A pub there The Duke’s Head has Jazz on a Thursday night currently there is a resident trio consisting of Nigel Price on Guitar a drummer and probably the best Hammond Organist in the UK Pete Whittaker – more on Pete in a moment -, the trio does vary slightly according to commitments but they normally have a guest most weeks. Recently it was a lady singer who at 22 had so far passed me by, she was a superb song stylist and when the next day I was reading the Ronnie Scott’s club listings for the last week in February I saw others thought the same as me as she was leading a quartet playing support to the Echoes of Ellington band. The name Polly Gibbons a young lady singer I am sure will go far.

So for lots of gigs – some free – some not, some there to promote a new CD and some like the Duke’s Head at Tadworth have provided a good run though for something that would cost a lot to hear the following week at Ronnie Scott’s all can be found in the monthly Free publication Jazz In London. However should you live north, east or west of London as well in the centre, Jazz In London will have gigs in your area.

Jonny Boston Quartet  Alexander

He has looks that could have made him a pop star, he has a voice far better than many who have been manufactured, he plays a mean saxophone and just for good measure he is a composer.

Sounds too good to be true well get down to the Pizza Express Jazz Club 10 Dean Street W1 on Wednesday 22^nd March for the launch of his EP CD Alexander and then let me know if you disagree.

His first CD was more popular than jazz with the saxophone not used enough. Here on the new EP CD he has three excellent jazz musicians with him making the Jonny Boston Quartet and to my mind they all deserve a chance to shine.

Pete Whittaker the Hammond Organist, Dave Smith a good Drummer while James Fenn’s Guitar is there to hear. As a jazz lover I would wish for more solos from them all, maybe this will transpire live.

On the EP there are five tracks the first two Alexander and Pause & Ponder as both Jonny Boston originals, the other three are all show tunes Somewhere, For All We Know and All or Nothing at All. Unlike so many singers today every word is clearly annunciated a pleasure to listen to. Unable to get there you can buy the EP CD at £6.50 from the website www.jonnyboston.com or £5 from the gigs, list on the site.