Review: JOE STILGOE BAND, Ronnie Scott's

There are live performers who bring a charisma and immediate sense of warmth and charm to the stage, along with an astounding talent. Joe Stilgoe is one such performer; sliding onto the tiny stage of Ronnie Scott's, he looked like he had lived most of his life holding court in front of an audience.

For those who know him, particularly from his album "Songs On Film", Stilgoe's music is easy to listen to and very accessible. This is not challengingly intense jazz that takes itself too seriously, but inventive and clever takes on big band classics and well-known songs, along with some of Stilgoe's own compositions. "Our Kind Of Music", written for his show with Michael Parkinson, is an evocative homage to the greats of the jazz world that anyone who listens to Radio 2 will be very familiar with.

Stilgoe is definitely a skilled entertainer, with rye asides and jokes about his waistcoat too closely resembling that of Gareth Southgate, but he is also a serious musician. His excellent composition work on the recent touring production of The Jungle Book is a demonstration of his creativity and versatility. During his show at Ronnie Scott's, a beautiful take on "Waterloo Sunset" with piano solo was melancholy and soulful and a sparkling rendition of "Puttin' On The Ritz" showcased Stilgoe's considerable talents as a pianist and expressive vocalist.

Stilgoe's band, who all played as sharply as their well-cut suits, featured some new talent from James Corpus' stunning trumpet playing and Tom Richards' slick saxophone. There is great fluidity among the musicians and the enthusiasm and sense of fun on stage is infectious.

Each of the more well-known tracks are performed assuredly and often with an incredibly inventive twist. Frank Sinatra's smooth "It Had To Be You" morphs ingeniously into The Jungle Book's "I Wan'na Be Like You" with just Stilgoe's vocals, Tom Farmer's animated bass and Ben 'Bam Bam' Reynolds skillfully creating percussion using drum brushes on the side of the double bass.

Supported on Saturday by award-winning trumpet player Freddie Gavita and his skilled band, the quartet warmed up the crowd nicely with an intense and soulful collection of Gavita's own compositions. The band have been playing together for 14 years and it shows; there is no ego on stage and each performer is willing to let all the others shine.

The socially aware track "Uprising" was a bluesy and melancholy expression of a skillful build in crescendo from each performer. The final tune "Turn Around" was a great showcase for Gavita's vibrant and bright trumpet, Calum Gourlay's smooth double bass, Tom Cawley's epic piano riffs and James Maddren's effortless energy on the drums.

For those in the audience who had bought a ticket to see Stilgoe, the only disappointment was that the show did not go on longer. With impeccable timing and a personality that puts you instantly at your ease, Joe Stilgoe is hard to resist.

Joe Stilgoe is at Ronnie Scott's today and then touring.

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