Review: HADLEY FRASER & WILL BUTTERWORTH, Live at Zedel

Music is the centrepiece of Hadley Fraser and Will Butterworth's show at Zédel. During the evening, they revisit classics - ranging from Broadway's beloved Stephen Sondheim, and touching on Paul Simon, Harry Connick Jr, Nat King Cole, and Stevie Wonder - as if Tony Bennett and Bill Evans were producing the arrangements for an imaginary third collaborative album.

The result is astonishing. Fraser's distinct vocals marry Butterworth's breathtaking piano with elegance and sophistication, projecting the sensation of not just hearing the music, but feeling it too. Piano and vocals become one.

Butterworth is ravishing at the piano. His unexpected jazz arrangements never cease to surprise, keeping the crowd on the edge of their seats during his improvised solos.

Hadley Fraser's vocals are notoriously strong, and the stripped-down, piano-only production makes their velvet-covering-steel essence even more apparent. When Fraser sings, he loses himself among the notes, disappearing behind the song, which he seemingly carries out more to himself than to please the crowd.

While he is not afraid to tell a joke - taking a jab at their the ballad-led concert or urging the audience to drink to get them through their musical choices - showing the entertainer side of him, his profound humility makes him introduce Will Butterworth as as much a crucial protagonist to the show as he is, frequently showing awe at his stunning skills.

With an unpretentious evening born out of love for jazz and paying tribute to artists who had a great role in the history of the genre, Hadley Fraser and Will Butterworth are a strong duo whose talents complement each other with charm and magnetism.

Read our interview with Hadley Fraser