Review: Jade Jones Presents JAZZED AND JADED at Creative Cauldron's 2016 Summer Cabaret Series

Let's be honest - with the state of current affairs, the political circus, the ongoing tragedies around the world - we're all feeling at least a little jaded these days. So it makes sense that DC singer Jade Jones' "Jazzed and Jaded," part of Creative Cauldron's 2016 Summer Cabaret Series, is exactly what we need right now.

Having performed in a variety of DC area theater engagements and garnering Helen Hayes nominations, Jones seized the opportunity to deliver something wholly personal for her solo cabaret. Dedicated to her late grandmother, her set was soulful and heavy on Nina Simone, one of Jones' most powerful influences.

The impression of vintage jazz staples like Simone, Ella Fitzgerald, and Billie Holiday was apparent in everything from the nuanced quality of Jones' rich vocals to the stage decor and blue lighting. Accompanied by a jazz trio comprised of friends old and new, she set the tone with Simone's protest song "Mississippi Goddam," tweaking it in a relevant way. She continued to channel Simone with the spare and beautiful "Plain Gold Ring," "I Loves You, Porgy" (from PORGY AND BESS), and "Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood." In an upbeat moment, she broke out a tambourine and some infectious moves with the catchy standard "Little Liza Jane" as the audience clapped along.

It wasn't all a throwback, though. Jones seemed fully in her element as she covered Amy Winehouse's "You Know I'm No Good." And an arrangement of Radiohead's "Creep" that at first seemed too downbeat led to a worthwhile payoff near the end of the song.

Each moment of Jones' emotional performance felt authentic, the most important quality of a great jazz or blues concert. She was endearing, humble (marveling at her own lower register at one point), and genuinely funny. The evening seemed to go by too fast, leaving the audience cheering for an encore, which Jones happily delivered.

"I've never done something like this before," she had said at the beginning of the night. Let's hope this is just the first round of many Jade Jones cabaret shows to come.

Running time: approximately 1 hour 10 minutes without an intermission.

Creative Cauldron's 2016 Summer Cabaret Series features a variety of artists through September 17th, 2016, at ArtSpace Falls Church, 410 South Maple Avenue, Falls Church, VA 22046. Tickets can be purchased at www.creativecauldron.org or by calling 703-436-9948.

Photo: Jade Jones; courtesy of Creative Cauldron website.

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