Tina Carr: Live at the Mildmay

The hall at The Mildmay Club in north London was packed to hear a great selection of tunes presented by vocalist Tina Carr, launching her new album ‘Moon Over Mildmay’.

An impressive band filled the stage, with arrangements by MD and pianist Matt Robinson supporting Tina as she sang tunes from the new album and from her back catalogue.

The evening began with I Didn’t Know What Time it Was. leading into solos from the marvellous guitar of Tom Ollendorff and Mike Soper on trumpet. Tina’s charisma and collaborative ethos with her band of experienced musicians shone through from that opening track.

Throughout, the packed hall responded to each tune with appreciative applause. The album’s title track uses Tina’s lyrics to breathe life into the instrumental ‘Love Song from ‘Apache’.

A similar approach to Ouve o Silencio took the beautiful classical prelude by renowned Brazilian composer Claudio Santoro and adds Tina’s words.

The impressive musicians on stage to enhance Tina’s vocals included names from across the UK jazz scene: Matt Robinson (piano), Max Luthert (bass), Rod Oughton (drums), Tom Ollendorf (guitar), Kieran McLeod (trombone), Sam Newbould (alto sax), Mike Soper (trumpet) and Àánú Sodipe (violin).

There was a truly delightful and authentic moment where Tina opened the second set with I Get Along Without You Very Well accompanied by Robinson’s piano. Later, a lovely version of Ruby My Dear, the Thelonious Monk classic showed Tina’s approach to the wider canon of jazz standards beyond the usual American Songbook fare.

The Crazy Woman, taken from Moon Over Mildmay is Tina’s musical treatment of a poem by Gwendolyn Brooks, the first African-American to win the Pulitzer Prize for poetry, It was a fitting encore.

Tina says: "I didn’t realise this when I was making the album Moon Over Mildmay, but somehow it has turned out to be a very personal piece of work. There's love, of course. But it’s also about otherness, where I am, who I’ve been - and about life still being an utter puzzle, and trying to find meaning and beauty in it all. Most of all, it’s about re-discovering my love of music, and what it means to me.  After many years doing different things and being different people – and being different things to different people, I am,  finally, being true to me.”

You can preorder Moon Over Mildmay on Bandcamp.