There isn’t always much jazz in Jazz Voice – the opening gala for the annual EFG London Jazz Festival – but there are often a myriad of commanding voices. This year’s concert was no exception, even if the evening’s rousing numbers were mostly found in the first set. Incognito vocalist Vanessa Haynes unlocked her inner Aretha Franklin on soul folk original ‘Kiss Me on Daisy Lane’; Emeli Sandé connected passionately with Nina Simone’s ‘I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free’; and Judi Jackson brought high drama to Sarah Vaughan’s ‘Black Coffee’. Elsewhere, Brendan Reilly had the audience whooping with his acrobatic take on the Jackson 5’s ‘Who’s Lovin’ You’, while Omar swaggered through ‘The Man’, even if his tight neo-soul grooves did not always benefit from the orchestral aplomb. China Moses, who is certainly her mother Dee Dee Bridgewater‘s daughter, best exploited the full potential of Guy Barker’s fabulous orchestra on ‘I Can Be Happy’ and ‘Watch Out’, showcasing outstanding physicality and rhythmic command while never missing the punchlines of her witty lyrics. The emergent Naomi Banks was the evening’s wild card; her dark alto blended eerily with the string-laden arrangement of her original composition ‘Confession’. Alas, the evening’s closing performance of the late Tina Turner’s ‘Proud Mary’ – awkwardly spliced between the above vocalists – was an unfortunate misfire. The night should have ended with Clarke Peters‘ richly poignant rendering of the Billy Strayhorn standard ‘Lush Life’.

You can listen to Jazz Voice on BBC Sounds HERE!