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Chaka Khan
  Chaka Khan  
  A true soul sistah!
Chaka Khan was more than just every woman. She performed an outstanding performance that Montreal fans would not forget.
 
Review
Chaka Khan @ The Metropolis, Montreal, Canada [July 2nd, 2007]
 

It’s not often you get to see a private, intimate performance from one of the finest songstress’ to have ever existed. The Montreal audience was honored and blessed during the 25th annual Jazz Festival when funk songstress and R&B crooner Chaka Khan performed at the Metropolis on Monday 2nd July 2007.

Chaka Khan performed outstandingly as she greeting her French Canadian audience with her hit song, “I Feel For You.” Throughout her 2-hour plus performance, Chaka Khan performed hits such as “Through The Fire,” “I’m Every Woman ” and “Ain’t Nobody.” Chaka Khan also performed songs from her new album “Funk This.” Such as the track “Angel.”

A very talented band backed up Chaka Khan with three back up singers whose voices adorned the crowd when they each did a solo piece.

Even though its been over three decades since Chaka Khan has blessed her audience with her memorable songs, her voice still sounds clear, crisp and vibrant. Chaka Khan closed her unforgettable performance with her all time favorite song, which she chanted to her audience as her “woman empowering song” - the track “I’m Every Woman,” where everybody (men included) were singing. Chaka Khan’s performance was so well received; the audience demanded an encore performance, where she literally had to drive back around (apparently she was in her limo already to the hotel when audiences demanded more.) Chaka Khan gracefully and appropriately performed her song “Stay” as the encore performance.

The venue helped make this concert wonderful as it was a general admission concert so many people were able to crawl their way to the front to see an up close and personal view of Mrs Chaka Khan herself. Chaka Khan also interacted a lot with her fans, holding their hands and talking to them in between sets. Her diva, funky attitude, as well as her energetic performance, was adored by many of the audience. This was one night, a lot of fans would definitely remember.

Dwight Barrett [Just Soul]

Pauline Black
  Pauline Black  
  An enjoyable evening!
Pauline delivered her musical celebration of Billie and Nina with grace, fine voice and style.
 
Review
Pauline Black & Blue Jazz Trio @ Selby Town Hall, UK [Apr 7th, 2007]
 

After playing the part of Billie Holiday on a London stage and winning the Time Out London Award for her portrayal of Billie, Pauline Black arrived in North Yorkshire to entertain us with tracks of Billie Holiday and Nina Simone. In the beautiful and intimate venue of Selby Town Hall, it was a fitting place to hear a musical celebration of these two greats. After growing up in Romford, Essex UK, Pauline looked up to these two iconic jazz women. Nina Simone is still a source of inspiration to Pauline today, as her last album “Requiem For A Black Soul” was dedicated to her. The Jazz trio consisted of excellent musicians Pick Withers (drums: Ex-Dire Straits, Bob Dylan), Nigel Portman-Smith (Double Bass: Ex Pentangle) and Dom Pipkin (Keyboards: Ex Morcheeba) whose quality and musicianship stood out throughout the performance. Starting the evening with the Nina Simone track “Feeling Good” The first set consisted of memorable songs such as “Lover Man,” “Young, Gifted And Black” and “Good Morning Heartache”. “Fine & Mellow” was sung beautifully and well received by the audience, as was “I Love You Porgy,” Nina Simone’s first single - from the opera “Porgy and Bess”. Pauline finished the first set with “Aint Got No” Nina’s version of a track from the musical called “Hair”. In between the sets, Pauline told us snippets of information about the lives of Billie and Nina, which added to the evening and reminded us of what they endured throughout their lifetimes, like Nina’s parents being removed from the front row of her recital in North Carolina, the rape of Billie Holiday, her time as a prostitute and how the two ladies used to have to enter venues by the back door because of their skin colour. Pauline also spoke about how she had interviewed Nina Simone and how Nina had made it a rather difficult interview for her, but it was a time and moment she lovingly recalled. In the second half, Dom Pipkin opened with a Bach piece, which sweetly led us into “Summertime”, then “Gloomy Sunday”, “Here Comes The Sun,” “Don’t Explain,” “Little Girl Blue,” “My Baby Just Cares For Me,” “Strange Fruit” – a song about the lynching of a black man in the Southern State of America and “Willow Weep For Me” ending with an excellent version of “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free.” Pauline and the trio came on for an encore singing “God Bless The Child.” Some of the tracks during the evening were of course sung by both Nina Simone and Billie Holiday and Pauline lovingly chose songs of theirs, which were a pleasure to listen to. It’s difficult to review an artist singing the work of other people, especially when the original artists come from such a suffering background and have added, without effort, the emotion of that suffering, through their music. It should not however, stop people of today, hearing the music of those artists. Yes, no one could ever fully capture the remarkable soul and expression, which Billie put into her music or the moans, shouts and repeats the “High Priestess Of Soul,” Nina Simone poured into hers, but Pauline delivered her musical celebration of Billie who died in 1959 and Nina who died in 2003, with grace, fine voice and style – an enjoyable evening.

Tracey Cope [Just Soul]

Roy Ayers
  Roy Ayers  
  Unforgettable!
Roy Ayers had everybody loving more than just the sunshine at the Phoenix Concert Hall, he had everyone witness a jazz fusion performance that was unforgettable.
 
Review
Roy Ayers @ Jazz Fusion - Toronto, Canada [Nov 16th, 2006]
 

After having a cancelled show during Toronto’s Jazz festival in July, Roy Ayers and his Jazz Fusion gang blessed Torontonians on November 16th 2006 at the Phoenix Concert hall presenting a night of nostalgic jazz. Everyone in the venue starting hooting and cheering as the lights dimmed and Roy Ayers walked on stage, greeting the diverse crowd. The first act was Lonnie Liston Smith who fed his energy to the audience as he played the organ. To the delight of the audience who were dancing to this performance, Lonnie played a second piece. Next on stage was Bobbi Humphrey who looked like the spitting image of Chaka Khan. Full of energy, she teased the audience with a “remix” of her famous song “Harlem River Drive” in which Roy Ayers and singer Jean Carne joined on stage as back up singers. Every minute, Bobbi Humphreys would sing into the microphone “This is..the remix. . .” which was enough to make the audience continue dancing. She tantalized the audience even more with her excellent mellow and enticing cover of Lionel Richie’s “Hello.” Jon Lucien whose baritone voice was still sounding the same as it was when he sang decades ago was next to entertain the buzzing audience. Impressing everyone in his red suit jacket, his mellow singing reminded everyone of how music and love songs used to be. This indeed was a slower type of performance that perfectly served as a break from all the dancing and grooving everyone was doing. Songstress Jean Carne then blessed the stage with her songs, “Don’t let it go to your head” and her song “Thank you.” Accompanied by Torontonian jazz artist Vincent Wolfe, Jean Carne sang her soul out proving she was still the songstress diva she was. The tempo of the concert increased again as legendary saxophonist Ronnie Laws walked on the stage jiving the audience with songs such as “Well You Needn’t”. Following him was Wayne Henderson from the legendary jazz group, the “Crusaders”. Coming on stage with a zebra printed chef hat and apron; he ignited the stage with his trombone. Together him and Ronnie Laws exchanged brass parts astonishing the audience. Apart from being one of the highlights of the show, another main part of the show was Roy Ayers performing his famous song “Sunshine.” Everybody in the Phoenix Hall sang the words to this song. This was also a unique moment of the concert because a lot of the older crowd sang this song remembering the good old yesteryears while the younger crowd sang along because they heard this song being sampled in so many R&B and hip hop songs (i.e., Mary J Blige, “My Life, etc.). To further ignite the flame, everyone from the Jazz fusion walked on stage and did a memorable ensemble with Wayne Henderson humorously leading the crowd on the chorus. This memorable jazz fusion event was one night that would not be forgotten to many people. Having all those legendary people on the stage was a constant reminder to every one of what jazz was and what it will still be.

Dwight Barrett [Just Soul]

Ola Onabule
  Ola Onabule  
  Exceptional night!
Ola and his band have talent in abundance and as soon as they came on stage, everyone realised how special their evening was going to be.
 
Review
Ola Onabule @ Georgian T. Royal - Richmond, UK [Nov 18th, 2006]
 

Have you been to a gig where the hairs at the back of your neck stand up? Well, the folk at the Georgian Theatre Royal got a full helping courtesy of Ola Onabule. The venue is small, intimate and wouldn’t suffer fools who took to the stage with no talent. Ola and his band have talent in abundance and as soon as they came on stage, everyone realised how special their evening was going to be. Stage presence and confidence is something Ola doesn’t lack. Looking gorgeous he immediately caught everyone’s attention by singing his very first track “Him” which told us of a father’s love. I’m still amazed I can go see Ola & his band in a small, intimate venue. I’m not complaining – it’s how I would prefer to see all soulful gigs… given the choice, still able to talk with him after the gig. If you haven’t seen Ola live, put it top of your agenda. If you never see him and his band and you are a true soul fan, you will have missed out on the opportunity of a lifetime by not witnessing one of the best, if not the best live soul groups of today. Bold statement, but check him out and tell me I’m wrong - performance, lyrically, musically, entertainment and soul drenched vocals wise. Ola is passionate, sexy, amusing, mesmerising… I could continue all day with positive adjectives to describe this artist. From the moment you hear his first note you’re captivated. Further into the performance, his soul literally pours out, sending those goose pimples down the centre of your spine. Ola is one of the most pure songwriters around today. You’re drawn into his lyrics and they take you on a journey. Not just providing lyrics for the ladies, but for the gents too (check our “Heart Of Lead”). The band’s performance was tight and funky. They looked like a real band; their individual talents blended together to make one smooth, soulful groove. Adrian Curtis on lead guitar made the guitar talk and sounded most impressive. Drummer Julian McLaren drummed those tight rhythms deep into the soul. As “Soul Town” played, Neal Raymond on bass guitar came into his own delivering his blend of soulful bass. Rob Gentry on keyboards looked and sounded the best I’d ever heard him. The band was at ease, which enabled them to bring their own relaxed flair, style, individual characters and sound. There are many good bands technically, but if they don’t gel, it’s almost wasted talent. The soul filled track “It’s Never Over” came next and then “Stay Here Forever” followed by “Parallel Universe” where Ola mimicked various instruments within the band. ‘Firing’ the band but then re-instated them when they started to fire back with fancy workmanship on their instruments. “If You Knew” was bluesy, Ola ending with a perfectly pitched high note. Other tracks followed including “Soul Town” and the beautiful “Forever Girl” as the finale. Humour from an artist on stage, is hard for many to master. Ola has mastered it and delivers it with style and light-hearted cheekiness, involving the audience. The lady beside me summed the evening up; as she turned around and yelled “Richmond will never be the same again!” After appearing at the Georgian Theatre, Ola, I am sure, would have even got King George Funkin!’ Exceptional night.

Tracey Cope [Just Soul]

Polly Gibbons
  Polly Gibbons  
  Polly has an outstanding voice!
I was surprised and disappointed not to hear Polly sing any of the tracks from her recently released CD.
 
Review
Polly Gibbons @ Wakefield Jazz, UK [November 17th, 2006]
 

Firstly thank you to the venue organisers who made us feel very welcome at Wakefield Jazz. Twenty-two year old Polly Gibbons, protégé of Ian Shaw, arrived after an arduous seven and a half hour journey from London. Mark Fletcher on drums, Sam Lasserson on Bass and Jim Watson on piano started the evening as a trio as Polly dashed to the dressing room to prepare for the night ahead. Later trumpeter Quentin Collins joined them to complete the quartet. Polly took to the stage just after 9.00pm, simply dressed in black, with star-shaped necklace. As Polly sang her first song “I’d Rather Drink Muddy Waters” and the second track “Bye Bye Blackbird”, she had already captivated everyone with her strong, jazzy, vocals. Polly welcomed everyone - her speaking voice a little nervous to begin with, but the venue is up close and personal – enough to make the hardened pro feel jittery. The nerves however, couldn’t be detecting in her singing voice. The next song “The Masquerade Is Over” was beautifully sung. Ogden Nash, lyricist for the musical “One Touch Of Venus” provided the next track “Speak Low (When You Speak Love)”. Then onto “Come Rain Or Come Shine” ending the first half with a couple of Ray Charles numbers. After a short interlude, Polly came back on stage and sang “Love Me Tonight (For Tomorrow May Never Come)”, then Cleo Laine’s “Honeysuckle Rose”. This song suited her well as her voice often reminded me of Cleo Laine. The next track was Tim Lapthorne’s “Saving Grace” - a funky number and one, which the audience seemed to really enjoy. The expression and endearing way she sang the lyrics “When I Freefall From Good Times”, really captivated you and drew you in. Polly realised we liked her funky number & said she would remember that for when she returned. After putting on her PR coat, she mentioned we could purchase her CD’s at the venue (also saying how the process of self-promotion always made her feel uncomfortable). Polly sang the track “But Not For Me” (George & Ira Gershwin), then onto a traditional Mississippi call and response/answer song. Polly decided to sing the track “Cry Me A River” saying; “everyone sings this, but it’s such a beautiful track - I know why everybody does” - her interpretation was good. After being presented with a bouquet of roses, a gesture, afforded to each lady who performs at Wakefield Jazz, Polly finished the gig with “Ain’t That Love”. Polly has an outstanding voice and she led the band well, fully in control, prompting us to applaud them (until she realised she didn’t need to do anymore) and breezed through the songs with confidence and charm, adding her sweet humour in-between. I was surprised and disappointed not to hear Polly sing any of the tracks from her recently released CD “What’s The Reason” and would have preferred to hear more of the soulful, funky Polly, rather than straightforward jazz, but I guess the venue was Wakefield Jazz, after all. I’m sure the rest of the audience would have liked to hear more funk too. “Pretty Polly” – Wakefield loved the funky track you did. We look forward to hearing more of the “Funky Gibbon(s)” when you return to Wakefield.

Tracey Cope [Just Soul]

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