A charged and soulful performance from a rising star

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Introduced as an artist ‘making a lot of noise’ within international jazz, Judi Jackson sauntered to the stage at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club as her band primed a rousing rendition of the African-American spiritual ‘Sinnerman’ – famously recorded by one of Jackson’s idols, Ms Nina Simone. Commanding the song’s climax with authority – directing each musician in turn before closing with operatic flourishes – Jackson began on a bold and brilliant note.

Her voice is haunting, with a diverse range of colours capable of channelling the searing, the vulnerable, and the sexual – whether she be sliding down the pitch, hitting her full voice with sting, or harnessing a horn-like inflection in the style of many jazz greats. With calming interludes between songs, Jackson explained the cathartic impetus behind her original material, recounting tales of love lost and gained, and battles with self-doubt. Her melodies and lyrics capture a sense of Erykah Badu (a cited influence of Jackson’s) with woozy jazz stylings. Performing with fluid physicality, Jackson delivered a charged and soulful performance.

‘Set On You’, combining neo-soul cadences with vintage strokes of trumpet, and the Sade slink of ‘Worth It’ were edgy and atmospheric . ‘You gotta manifest that shit,’ she said about the rehabilitating potential of love which the latter song conveys. During a jazzed-up rendition of ‘Look No Further’, written by Richard Rodgers for the Broadway musical No Strings, Jackson inhabited a theatrical persona and sunk into her lower register playfully. On original song ‘Over the Moon’, Jackson’s breathy highs flowed into a keys solo by Jamie Safir which powered a climax that brought the first set to an explosive finish.

In the second set, Jackson impressed particularly with the moody balladry of ‘Blue Baby’ (written by Jackson and Safir) and her medley of Nina Simone songs. On ‘Black is the Color of My True Love’s Hair’, an apocryphal folk song recorded by Simone, Jackson was captivatingly still, drawing out each lyric with intense focus.

In a venue which has hosted many jazz and soul greats for decades now, it is encouraging to see a surging artist like Jackson coming into her prime.

Full Band

Jamie Safir – Piano
Ben Brown – Drums
Joe Downard – Bass
Reuben Fowler – Trumpet
Theo Crocker – Trumpet

(Image taken from Judi Jackson’s Facebook Page)