One of the biggest compliments I can give Jazz Voice – the gala which opens each iteration of the EFG London Jazz Festival – is that I invariably leave with a list of new artists to explore. The gala, spearheaded by conductor Guy Barker and charmingly hosted by Jumoké Fashola, is indeed worth the price of mission merely due to the eclecticism its roster.
For this writer, Jazz Voice 2025 provided a first encounter with the rich baritone of Tyreek McDole and the charismatic Caleb Kunle. Both are voices worth seeking out, with Kunle especially standing out on his feisty original ‘Gimme Dat’ (performed with guest conductor Jack Murray).
Aside from the orchestral medley that opened the second act, the evening’s song selections were left to the vocalists themselves. Some smart choices were made. Natalie Williams, a darling of Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club with her terrific Soul Family residency, navigated the gorgeous rhythms of Stevie Wonder deep cut ‘Dancing to the Rhythm’ (from 1995 live album Natural Wonder) with characteristic ease. Vula Malinga’s take on Marvin Gaye’s ‘What’s Going On’ began faithful to the original template; by the second half she had loosened the reins, playing off against the orchestra with dazzling vocal fluidity.
The second set had its pitfalls, falling victim to enthusiastically performed but unimaginative renditions of material like James Brown’s ‘I Feel Good’ and the oft-trodden ‘I’m Every Woman’ – missed opportunities to put that fabulous orchestra to better use. Tanita Tikaram, however, improved between sets: her first number ‘Glass Love Train’ was swallowed up by the orchestra; she returned with more conviction with ‘Twist in My Sobriety’, from her breakthrough debut Ancient Heart (1988).
Elsewhere in the night, Jacqui Dankworth paid homage to her late mother Cleo Lane, a British jazz luminary, with a series of standards Lane had recorded. She ended with a comedic yet defiant ‘I’m Still Here’ (from Stephen Sondheim’s Follies). American jazz singer Stella Cole, who found viral success on TikTok, brought warmth and nostalgia to ‘Till There Was You’. Her verse of ‘You Are the Sunshine of My Life’ was also the highlight of the lumbering Stevie Wonder medley that closed the show.
Dee Dee Bridgewater was undoubtedly the evening’s star performer. She rocketed onto the stage for her first set performance of ‘Flying Saucer’, her combustible energy shining brighter than her bedazzled outfit. In the second set she honoured the late Roy Ayers, delivering a rendition of ‘Everybody Loves the Sunshine’ that cut through the gloom of this wet November night.
