Delightful standards

Every now and then I attend a standards gig and really, really enjoy it. It was only a short visit, but I really enjoyed hearing Natalie Magee’s Quartet last night at their unlikely (but longstanding) venue of the Dendy Cinema bar. It’s a funny venue with people milling around for tickets and lining up for films and a few people sitting to chat and a few even listening to the band. But it lends itself to a band having a good time with little pressure and this can result in some great music. This gig was like that.

Natalie is singing with such jazz invention these days, taking melodies and singing the harmonies, singing over and behind the beat, syncopating and bending lines into complex arpeggiated structures, scatting with comfort. This is sophisticated and richly embellished singing and I loved it. Luke Sweeting is every bit her match at toying with harmony and structure and throwing in musical witticisms and long flamboyant lines and symmetric patterns that clash then resolve against underlying harmonies. The standards are great for this, of course, and the droll and knowing lyrics just confirm it. But none of this works without a steady but communicative base and Phill Jenkins’ throbby gut tone on steady or lively walks and Namchoon Kim’s easy drumming gives the forward motion. And this is a relaxed outing, so they each take their shares of solos.

I caught tunes including Little girl blue (a new one for me), Lullaby of Birdland, Almost like being in love and I got to sit in for Love, which is a really cute song. (Phill was taking pics and threatening to review me! Damn! What goes around, comes around, I guess). It was only short outing, but quite lovely. Natalie Magee (vocals) led a quartet with Luke Sweeting (piano), Phill Jenkins (bass) and Namchoon Kim (drums) at the Dendy. It’s on every Wednesday, it’s free and it’s very relaxed.