Reuben James gets Ronnie’s rocking with his soulfully sophisticated sound

The feel-good vibes generated by Reuben James would have been perfect for the 2021 Summer - if it had ever arrived. James too has been a long time coming: it was back in 2014 that he was named Rising Star at the British Jazz Awards. But as a writer for artists including Sam Smith and Little Mix, he has spent years quietly building an industry reputation and boosting careers other than his own. Now he seems to be achieving the wider recognition that he deserves, however, with two sell-out shows at Ronnie’s.

“Eclectic” is an over-used term, but it truly applies to James, whose music flows freely between genres. In his improvisations you hear little snatches of Stevie Wonder’s ‘Visions’, McCartney’s ‘Blackbird’ and ‘Yesterday’, ‘Lean on Me’, even a bit of ‘Clair de Lune’ or Bach. Likewise it was sometimes hard to tell where one tune ended and the next began: James likes to plug the gaps with his spontaneous piano musings until a vamp emerges to signal the next number. He uses a small synth perched on top of the house piano, often in conjunction with a voice box, and once or twice he switches to melodica. When he sings, it’s usually only for a couple of lines because he likes to feature his band.

James encouraged each bandmember to improvise with him, including backing singers Vula Malinga and Paddy Linton. They were a simpatico ensemble, most - like James himself - hailing from the Midlands, including Gareth Lockrane on flute, Jay Phelps on trumpet and Tom Ford on guitar. David Mrakpor on bass and Dexter Hercules on drums gave supple backbone to the performance, whose keynote was restraint. Although the music is based on groove rather than harmony, the grooves were slow burners like ‘So Cool’ and Roy Ayres’ ‘Everybody Loves the Sunshine’. Yes, more of that, please.