There seems to be a resurgence in the public’s interest in jazz every decade or so, and with Ezra Collective winning Best Group at this year’s Mercury Prize the profile of British jazz is again in the ascendent. With many new groups and musicians taking a technically dazzling, club-based approach, it is great to see an artist like Georgia Cécile bridging the gap between the smokey standards of the 1950s chanteuses with a contemporary sound that club kids can dance to.
After opening for Mariza last year, Jazz FM’s Vocalist of the Year 2022 winner, Cécile was back in Brighton on Thursday to headline the Corn Exchange to celebrate her latest release ‘City Girl’. As the lights dimmed the six-piece band took to the stage with two female backing vocalists and kicked off with the show’s intro song – a funky 60s groove with Cécile and the silky smooth backing singers telling the crowd to “leave your worries at the door”.
We were informed that ‘In New York’ was the story of moving from a small Scottish town to The Big Apple that featured bossa-style piano with drum rimshots and trumpet producing a sound that resembled a slower-paced ‘New York Afternoon’. Cécile’s classy, classic voice worked beautifully, floating over the backing singers on ‘Come Summertime’, on a perfectly-formed arrangement that allowed space for cornet and piano solos.
Cécile shared her love of the late, great pianist/vocalist Les McCann and his influence is apparent on the soul jazz stomper ‘Communion’. Euan Stevenson’s piano gave a nod to Lee Morgan’s ‘Sidewinder’, while guitarist Aleph Aguiar gave a salutation in Spanish that led to a call and response vocal with the singers dancing to the sax solo on what could easily have been a show stopping finale. A duet with collaborator and arranger Stevenson on ‘You Don’t Notice’ started on a high note but settled into a pitch-perfect soft, breathy delivery giving the song a tiny jazz club ambience.
‘Harpoon’, about the beginnings of a relationship, begins with Cécile singing alongside guitarist Aleph Aguiar and as the band join in it becomes a jazz bossa number in the Getz/Gilberto mode. ‘He Knew How To Love’, also from the first album, is a personal song inspired by her father and over gentle piano chords and shimmering cymbals Cécile again blends perfectly with backing singers Saara Kaldma and Gertrude Aasaroht.
There’s a classic Carole King feel on ‘Ever Burning Flame’ while ‘Heavenly Affair’ is more of a nu-soul sound in which the crowd singalong but struggle to reach Cécile’s high notes. The remainder of the show is mostly comprised of well chosen covers, including a few sacred cows that receive the vocalist’s magic touch. Few would dare to include Minnie Riperton’s ‘Loving You’ in their set but this is dispatched beautifully and comfortably given Cécile’s already proven vocal range.
Her hero Les McCann’s version of ‘Compared To What’ includes the same, instantly recognisible, piano riff and the band have a great time on this classic groover. Jazz standard ‘My One And Only Love’ features understated yet elegant piano and climaxes with Cécile’s slowly reaching up for a high note finish. The show ends with Cécile’s own ‘This Is Love’ on which she dances with the backing singers as her voice reaches new heights as she scats the final few bars.
The audience cheered for an encore and were rewarded with a flawless rendition of “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face’ on which the long notes are held perfectly, bending beautifully as Stevenson’s soft piano plays exquisitely beneath her. It can only be a matter of time before this talented performer is headlining much larger venues.
Opening the evening was London-based singer Amethyst, accompanied by pianist Ted Hayes, who gave an assured performance that delighted the crowd. Her voice was crystal clear with a slight smoky touch and a broad range, not unlike Sarah Vaughan when using her lower register.
Aside from Donny Hathaway’s ‘We’re Still Friends’, which highlighted the maturity of her voice, the set was all originals that showed she was a future soul and jazz star. There were gospel flavours with lyrics tackling topics such as revenge, people being marginalised and backstabbing friends and in a short thirty minutes Amethyst proved herself to be a class act. We look forward to seeing her career go from strength to strength.
Brighton Dome Corn Exchange, Thursday 20th March 2025
