How exciting to see a theatre inactive for 25 years be rejuvenated into what could easily become a premier space for live music.
The Boulevard Theatre, under the steer of founder Fawn James and artistic director Rachel Edwards, programmes a combination of musical threatre, comedy, spoken word, and late night jazz. The jazz offering – branded as ‘Soho Sounds’ – takes place on Wednesday evenings under the musical direction of Alex Webb, with a roster of guest vocalists.
The inaugural launch of Soho Sounds saw Webb joined by vocalist and songwriter David McAlmont and saxophonist Tony Kofi. Warming the audience up with three Billie Holliday songs, the rest of the set took from Webb and McAlmont’s latest collaborative effort The Last Bohemians – a vocal jazz album due for release on 15th November under Lateralize Records.
The album contains a handful of covers, treated with a degree of ‘jazzification’ in McAlmont’s terms. Webb’s arrangements of Queen’s ‘Love of My Life’, The Beatles’ ‘I’m So Tired’, and Suede’s ‘Wild Ones’ struck as particularly intelligent. The original material from The Last Bohemians is also impressive, with Webb drawing upon his jazz chops with modern sensibility. The bittersweet title track, the thrillingly moody ‘Speed of Darkness’ (enlivened by Kofi’s sax), and the piano-driven ‘The Loneliest Night’ were highlights of last night’s set.
As a performer and vocalist, McAlmont marries a theatrical grandeur with a capacity for stillness. The crackle of vibrato in his voice as he flits into his falsetto is divine. He is full of sass – take his delivery of ‘Don’t Kiss Me Again’ where he rejects romantic distractions but notes wryly ‘the bed will still be there tonight’ – yet closed the set poignantly with the meditative ‘Once in a Lifetime’.
Check out future Soho Sounds shows on the Boulevard Theatre website here. China Moses will be performing on 13th November.
(Image copyright: Boulevard Theatre)
