Pianist, composer, arranger, teacher and cabaret-creator Alex Webb is one of the British jazz scene’s great and good – but though his heart is in classic swing, early bebop and the casual magic of the great jazz-singing divas, he has consistently stripped those distant materials of nostalgia, and creatively revitalised their appeal for new audiences. This is his debut as an original lyricist and composer – albeit still steeped in the structures of the Great American Songbook – leading a dazzling cast of established and emerging singers, including the subtly soulful Ayanna Witter-Johnson (accompanying herself on cello), the understated Paris-based Cameroonian Sandra Nkake, China Moses (sometimes sounding like an earthier Peggy Lee) and the remarkable newcomer Vimala Rowe. The lyrics even visit smoky, set-’em-up-Joe territory without provoking a wince, the solos and horn arrangements are delivered with eager pep, and though it’s golden age jazz, it all manages to be quirkily contemporary – and a remarkable talent-spotting coup into the bargain.
