Review/Preview: Natalie William's Soul Family

Natalie William's Soul Family. 06 November. Ronnie Scotts. Review by Fran Hardcastle.

Natalie William's Soul Family, the monthly residency that has been running for more than 5 years has developed a loyal following. Unsurprisingly. The atmosphere on stage infects the room with an exuberant energy and William’s conciliatory manner results in a buzzing, vocally appreciative audience. Last month I arrived at the venue in a bleak mood and within minutes of the show starting, felt rejuvenated.

The most exciting element of the show is Williams’ knack for introducing new artists that you’re grateful to discover and the prowess to pull big names to guest. Previous guests have included Alice Russell, Roachford, Jamie Cullum, Jarie Bernhoft and ESKA to name a few. November was no exception. Ethereal Danish discovery Marie Dalstrœm is a songwriter to look out for.

On the other end of the spectrum, Krystle Warren was hypnotic. Despite appearances on Jools Holland’s show, she is still criminally unknown in the UK. I first discovered her on French pianist, Eric Legnini’s album, The Vox. Live, her characterful delivery draws attention to a raw distinctive voice that offers an emotional hurricane of depth.

Williams’ also uses the show as a showcase for her own original brand of soul pop. From the hip swinging grooves of My Oh My, to the Jill Scott-esque Butterfly, in which Williams showed off her incredible range, floating up to whistle register. For jazz fans, her new material with Tom Cawley is something to keep an eye out for. New song, Little Girl, dedicated to Cawley’s daughter is classic songwriting bringing to mind Stevie & Paul Simon. An album is in the offing I hear.

The regular house band are the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Guitarist Ben Jones is a hidden gem well worthy of discovery by wider audiences. Solos offer an edge-of-the-seat rollercoaster ride. Bassist Robin Mularkey’s precision timing & propelling melodic phrasing underpin the group and balance well with drummer Martyn Kaine’s often witty delivery. Backing vocalists are drawn from the cream of the session scene. The force of personality that is Vula is currently the voice of DHL and is an impressive powerhouse of a sound. Brendan Reilly, also one quarter of BLINQ with Williams has a falsetto of liquid chocolate. November’s guest BV, Annabel Williams'(no relation) commanding delivery of Jill Scott’s Golden was a treat.

In an X Factor age, it is refreshing to see such an organic, inviting platform to discover new songwriting talent.

Soul Family perform the Motown Christmas Revue at Ronnie Scotts, Monday 5th to Saturday 10th December.

Review: BLINQ

BLINQ - Natalie Williams Liane Carroll, Brendan Reilly (vocals) Ian Shaw (vocals and piano), Gwilym Simcock ( piano and melodica) (Ronnie Scott's, August 12th 2011, part of Britjazz Festival. Review by Sebastian Scotney)

No ifs, no buts about this one. The debut of vocal supergroup BLINQ, on the glorious 12th goes straight up there as one of my gigs of the year.

There was lots of happy onstage banter between the pairs of friends. The first thought which the group shared with the audience was that this project putting, these four singers together, was not without risk: "we all drink too much." A thought later echoed in the poignant lyrics to Ian Shaw's "Let's Stay 42, sung as a duet with Liane Carroll.

We cover our secrets with a drink and a smile. [..] /A whisky in your cup, a vodka in mine. /We won't wake the house up, we'll talk until nine

But if there was banter, there was also a infectious atmosphere of fellowship, mutual encouragement and fun. Yes, the singers were showing off mercilessly, their exuberant scat contests witnessed salchows, lutzes, axels, pikes, twists and tucks, but they were also leading the appreciation and the cheering, for each other,  from onstage.

And there was also musicality. Heaps of it. BLINQ might be billed a vocal quartet, but forget the traditional SATB. All four singers have astonishing ranges. All lead or blend at will. And for a first performnce, the polish, the ensemble, the dash and panache of the whole enterprise were stunning.

Highlights? Several. The Tom Cawley/Natalie Williams composition Good Old Days - asking the question what life can have been like before we all had mobile phones implanted - might well be the song to put this group definitively in front of a larger audience (Jools?), Gwilym Simcock's arrangement of Pastorius' Liberty City was a first take wonder of virtuosity.

But the quieter moments counted too. Brendan Reilly's song Little Black Raincloud is a gem. And then there is Gwilym Simcock. Or, in the words of the Sun "Gwil done, son." As accompanist, finding the right colours and textures, the right seas for the good ship BLINQ to travel over, he was remarkable throughout. The fourth of the segued ballad medley featured Ian Shaw in My Foolish Heart. The ending was a moment for pure goosebumps, reminiscent of Bill Evans accompanying Tony Bennett. Shaw was disappearing into the shadows towards 49 Frith Street, taking the falsetto into high, ethereal territory. But my ear was caught by the sotto voce piano chords and wanderings which accompanied that ascent. Placed to perfection.

Support were Ayanna Witter Johnson's Quartet. A magical set, producing the quietest Friday night first set audience ever, according to Ronnie's CEO Simon Cooke. But that's a separate review, for next week. As for BLINQ, when LondonJazz newsletter subscribers like the programmers of festivals in Cologne, Hamburg and Montreux read this, they should be booking this group.

And yeah, we're all in this together innit. If Boris and Dave are concerned (as they bloody well should be after a week like we've just had) that Britain should be projected at its most joyous, they need look no further than BLINQ. Something very special started tonight.

www.ronniescotts.co.uk

CD Review: The Quentin Collins/Brandon Allen Quartet - What's It Gonna Be?

The Quentin Collins/Brandon Allen Quartet - What's It Gonna Be?
(Sunlightsquare Records SUNCD010, CD Review by Chris Parker)

From its hard-driving opener (tenor player Brandon Allen's What's It Gonna Be? to its infectiously lively closer (drummer Enzo Zirilli's mix of 'Tea for Two' with an almost 'Sidewinder'-ish shuffle rhythm, 'Teeth for Tooth'), this album harks back to the heyday of hard bop, recalling not only the Lee Morgan or Freddie Hubbard albums so beloved of co-leader, trumpeter Quentin Collins, but also (courtesy of Ross Stanley's evocative organ sound) the classic albums of Jimmy Smith and his ilk.

All its tracks except a radio-friendly visit to Stevie Wonder's 'Smile Please', sung by Natalie Williams, are in-band originals intelligently programmed to move between bustling swagger and moody slower pieces, but whether they're rattling through the former or brooding through the latter, the quartet has a breezy vigour and an unfussy interactive ease that can't fail to impress.

Collins is a refreshingly straightforward player, blazing and flaring on open trumpet, subtly noodling through a mute, or crooning through his flugelhorn as appropriate; Allen is a perfect frontline partner, his rich, powerful sound enabling him to steam through up-tempo numbers and channel tenderness through quieter ones; the rhythm section (buoyed by Stanley's deft bass pedals and sparked by Zirilli's crisply assertive drumming) bristles with disciplined authority – overall, this is an unequivocally enjoyable, immediately accessible but consistently musicianly album.