Vocal Summit: Trudy Kerr, Brigitte Beraha & Marta Capponi with Rick Simpson Trio – Spice of Life @ EFG London Jazz Festival
Friday, January 15, 2016
Soho’s historic basement jazz club is one of the few remaining clubs in central London and last Wednesday it was home to a “Vocal Summit”.
The diverse repertoires of three top London jazz singers and accompaniment of Rick Simpson’s outstanding trio of drums, piano and bass made the night truly delightful.
The first singer, Marta Capponi, in her London Jazz Festival debut, won over the audience by her smooth and deep tone while singing standards including Honeysuckle Rose and Caravan. Marta’s unique scat approach to all of the songs proved her true command of the style. Brigitte Beraha and her clear, pure voice on a gentle repertoire was an engaging change of vibe. Latin songs, French chanson and standards like 'I Fall In Love Too Easily' with flowing, often vocalised phrases sung confidently sounded soothing and admirable. Trudy Kerr (pictured), repeatedly highly appreciated by London Jazz Festival audience was truly fantastic. Her bright, vivid set of songs including 'Joy Spring' or 'Shaker Song' interspersed with personal anecdote about her daughter and a little love story that charmed the audience. The warm and pleasant voice of Trudy, while performing classic upbeat swing standards and ballads thrilled the public.
Along with her glorious vocal delivery, the audience appreciated her great rapport with young trio Rick Simpson, Mark Lewandowski and Lloyd Haines. The show closed with a song “But not for me” showcasing the talents of all three singers accompanied by the sharp trio. The night was a real musical festival of vocal diversity seemingly effortlessly presented by highly skilled artists who were in their element.
– Alicja Jablonska