“Eidi is compelling in her sincerity, calmness, and deft phrasing”

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After a sell-out show earlier in the year, singer-songwriter Lara Eidi and her musical companions returned to the Hampstead Jazz Club to pay homage to the art of songwriting. A cross-genre artist – oscillating largely between folk and jazz – Eidi performed material from the likes of Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Imogen Heap, and Liane Carroll.

The Hampstead Jazz Club continues to accommodate for an eclectic range of artists who thrive in its intimacy. With Naadia Sheriff on piano and her husband Dave Mannington on double bass, the arrangements were approached with a light, sympathetic touch. With undeniable vocal ability, there is a subtlety to Eidi’s presentation that perhaps would have been lost in a larger venue.

Beginning her set at the piano with Imogen Heap’s ‘Let Go’, the fluidity of Eidi’s voice immediately shone. She can soar into high soprano notes with a lightness of touch, fall off the notes with ease, and play into her jazz inflection.

Speeding up the tempo slightly, she provided lively phrasing on Neil Young’s ‘Old Man’ and confidently navigated the winding melodies of the Joni Mitchell songs she covered (‘All I Want’, ‘The Dry Cleaner of Des Moine’, and her encore number ‘A Case of You’). She entertained more conventional jazz with Liane Carroll’s ‘Dublin Morning’ and the Cole Porter composition ‘Just One of Those Things’, performed in tribute to the late Doris Day.

With Sheriff playing gospel chords, Eidi’s performance of Bob Dylan’s ‘Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right’ was a highlight – with Eidi communicating the reassurance of the lyric. Her interpretation of Jacob Collier’s ‘Hideaway’ – which Eidi referred to as one of the best contemporary jazz ballads – showcased warm, hushed low tones.

Adding an element of heartbreak to the proceedings in the second set, Eidi performed her original ‘Damien’ (interesting in its genre-spanning approach) and Lianne La Havas’ ‘Gone’. The latter in particular was a brilliant choice, which Eidi could have perhaps milked more drama out of.

She may be far from the most showy vocalist (even for the jazz scene), but Eidi is compelling in her sincerity, calmness, and deft phrasing.

(Image copyright: Lara Eidi)