You can’t fault Jazz Voice for its eclecticism. This annual gala, inaugurating each iteration of the EFG London Jazz Festival, serves up an ensemble of soloists often with varying degrees of ‘jazziness’. Even if every artist may not be to one’s personal taste, I often leave grateful for having my horizons widened – if perplexed at the often calamitous attempt to close the show with an under-rehearsed group number (this year being no exception).

This year’s line-up spanned seasoned jazz talent like Carmen Lundy, Brazilian star Marisa Monte, emergent R&B and soul artists IAMLIVING and KYRA, and television actor Damian Lewis fronting his new rockabilly outfit. Each artist chooses their two songs for the evening, backed by conductor and arranger Guy Barker and the EFG London Jazz Festival Orchestra. Perhaps the event would benefit from more hands-on curation as the quality of the choices – and their suitability for an orchestral rendering – was noticeably polarised between the two acts.

After Veronica Swift’s high-energy scatting got the evening off to a strong start, a slew of sleepy ballads bogged down the show’s first half. Thank goodness for Carmen Lundy’s ‘Reverence’ and Tony Momrelle’s (not remotely jazzy but nonetheless brilliant) take on Eddie Floyd’s ‘Knock on Wood’. While perhaps in need of some tightening, the busy, contemporary jazz reading of Nina Simone’s ‘Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood’, sung by Cherise with guest conductor Peter Edwards, was striking.

Song choice, arrangement, and execution were in greater harmony after the interval. Momrelle’s gospel ballad ‘Remember’, Swift’s histrionic ‘In the Moonlight’, Luce Anne Daniels’ classy take on Blossom Dearie’s ‘I’m Hip, and KYRA’s gymnastic performance of Natalie Cole’s ‘This Will Be (An Everlasting Love’) were all highlights. And, of course: the orchestra’s homage to seminal jazz record labels including Blue Note, Verve, and Impulse. Ten minutes of bliss.

You can listen to Jazz Voice on BBC Sounds HERE. Check out our top picks for this year’s EFG London Jazz Festival HERE. 

All photography courtesy of Emile Holba