Damian Lewis kicks out the jams with Kansas Smitty’s at Cheltenham Jazz Festival

Just as Jeff Goldblum has the Mildred Snitzer Orchestra, so fellow actor turned musician Damian Lewis has Kansas Smitty’s House Band: its leader Giacomo Smith, it turns out, has produced Lewis’s debut album.

Ask not why he was appearing on the Jazz Arena stage: the only jazz tune was Jelly Roll Morton’s ‘Why’. His repertoire was country rock, for the most part, with songs by Tom Waits, Neil Young, Warren Zevon, Leon Redbone and JJ Cale among others, although most of the repertoire was Lewis’s own. One – ‘Never Judge a Man by his Umbrella’ – was about the spy Kim Philby. And they weren’t half bad, chronicling his pre-fame life and loves, travelling around Europe with a motorcycle and a guitar. He introduced the audience to his £2,000 Martin acoustic, one of several he played while singing in a gruff, slightly effortful manner.

Describing himself as “a Cheltenham Jazz Festival virgin, to be deflowered”, Lewis’s inexperience occasionally showed: he had to restart a couple of tunes, once because he dropped his pick, and again because he came in on the wrong note. The capacity audience didn’t care. They liked Damian Lewis, and therefore they liked his gig and went away happy.

The man has a certain goofy charm, and there was plenty of fun to be had. He was ably supported by Kitty Liv, aka Durham, out of Kitty, Daisy and Lewis (not this one), on backing vocals and harmonica, Giacomo Smith on alto, Dave Archer on guitar, Joe Webb on piano, Will Sach on bass and Will Cleasby on drums.