Etienne Charles thrills with horn-heavy set at Soul Mama, London

The real power of any quote is its unpredictability. Hearing a tune in a daring place makes it all the more impactful. Trinidadian trumpeter Etienne Charles, scores highly in this respect. He throws us a mighty curve ball with his arrangement of ‘Poison’, Bell Biv Devoe’s ‘90s R&B hit built on glitzy electronics for a 19-piece acoustic big band, and then starts his solo with a snatch of Thelonious Monk’s jabbing ‘60s modern jazz anthem ‘Green Chimneys’.

The time travelling and cultural bridging is quite a thrill because it underlines the great breadth of Charles’s artistic world as well as the fact that, far from being parochial citizens, Caribbean musicians have always sought to engage with all kinds of material. Yet this performance at a well-appointed new venue in Stratford is also a celebration of the heartland of US-based Charles. His latest album Creole Orchestra, brings together trumpets, trombones, saxophones and rhythm section to draw a line between Calypso, swing, ballads and blues while highlighting his own verve as a storyteller. No tracks epitomise that more than the utterly charming ‘Douens’, an original based on mischievous scare-the-kids folklore he heard as a child, and ‘Centerpiece’, the Harry ‘Sweets’ Edison classic whose leisurely, sunny, nonchalant theme is well enhanced by purring vibrato and breezy rhythms.

Nick Smart assembled a 13-strong horn section that includes crack soloists such as trumpeter Jay Phelps, alto saxophonist Sammy Mayne and trombonist Trevor Mires, but it is steel pan player Leon Foster Thomas, a London-based Trinidadian, who startles with his virtuosity while young pianist Luke Bacchus serves notice of a talent with limitless potential. Yet Charles duly commands proceedings with his pithy improvisations, gutsy, Eldridge-stamped phrasing, rousing stage presence, and sharp wit in the manner of the best calypso singers. Dance is a running theme in any case, nodding to the heyday of orchestras and hoofers. Fittingly, the show starts with ‘Stompin’ At The Savoy’ and ends with ‘Jump In The Line’, for which there is no option for the audience but to leave their seats and get to shufflin’.