Georgina Jackson: Live at West Side Jazz

It was great to see an intimate quartet show from trumpeter and vocalist Georgina Jackson, who has held her own in West End Shows, Rat Pack shows and alongside artists such as Frank Sinatra Junior, Nancy Sinatra, Four Tops and Temptations and Seal.

Georgina Jackson @rw_crowley

Georgina is a hugely entertaining performer and the crowd at West Side Jazz in Hertfordshire’s Welwyn Garden City packed the cinema. They were all appreciative of her performance of tunes made famous by Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, bessie Smith, Peggy Lee and many more.

The quartet was Georgina (vocals, trumpet and flugelhorn), Jim Watson (keyboard), Sandy Suchodolski (bass) and Dave Tandy (drums). West Side Jazz is run by Dave and it’s a credit to him that these stalwarts of the UK jazz scene come and appear each month.

Everything from the opening Almost Like Being in Love to I Thought About You and Making Whoopie was a delightful rendition of classic tunes, including Georgina’s adept vocals and additional interjections of trumpet and flugelhorn. This was no imitation, but a reinvention for the 21st century.

Suchodolski, Jackson and Tandy @rw_crowley

But, above all, Georgina and her quartet performed in an entertaining and enthusiastic manner. All the solos added a personal interjection from each of the ensemble - even when the leader changed the order and added in a wildcard.

One particularly gorgeous interpretation was the quartet's version of Wichita Lineman: Georgina's flugelhorn absolutely shone!

Georgina in full flow with Watson and Suchodolski @rw_crowley

British jazz is in good hands, with understated solos from Watson’s keyboard, Suchodolski’s bass and - as usual here at West Side Jazz - Tandy’s drums. Jackson’s highly entertaining and witty introductions interspersed the tunes, making this a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

Next up at West Side Jazz are James Hudson on 1 April and an exciting Big Band made up of some of the UK’s best musicians on 6 May.