WITH his smoothly unbuttoned suit, black shirt, garish yellow braces and spacey smile, the king of late night boogie woogie piano Jools Holland looked like he’d eaten a psychotropic omelette before dressing in the dark.
Then again, so did most of last Friday’s audience, lounging on picnic blankets and drinking Pimm’s in the historic grounds of Greenwich’s elegant Old Royal Naval College.
But after a sedate warm-up from brother Chris Holland, Jools and his Rhythmn and Blues Orchestra took to the stage and brought the crowd to their feet.
Like an expert cowboy herding his cattle, the Blackheath maestro effortlessly lassoed the audience’s attention and succeeded in holding it for more than two hours of non-stop jazz, blues and rock and roll.
Oozing charisma and talent, Jools could easily hold an entire show solo, but it is his generosity as a performer and unwillingness to hog the limelight which makes his concerts so irresistible.
Like a live, open-air version of his Later TV programme, Jools allowed each of his orchestra members a chance to shine on their own before introducing a conveyer belt of dizzyingly talented star guests.
From Gilson Lavis’s electrifying drum solo to the soulful vocals of backing singers Louise Marshall and Rosie Mae, the upbeat tempo was cranked up to fever pitch by the time pop star turned blues belter Alison Moyet appeared.
The almost unrecognisably slim and trim singer proved her painfully beautiful voice hadn’t lost any of its gravitas over the years.
But it was, in Jools’s words, the “boogie woogie queen” Ruby Turner who eventually stole the show.
Mixing funk with good old fashioned rock and roll, the Birmingham soul diva knew how to party and wasn’t afraid to show us.
Punching the air while bouncing effervescently across the stage and wowing fans with her powerful pipes, Ruby’s energy was infectious.
Three encores later, the crowd clearly didn’t want Jools Holland’s feelgood party to end and neither did I.
If you thought jazz and blues was just pork pie hats, cigars and aimless strumming on a double bass, think again.
Jools Holland and co have thankfully put the fun back into the sometimes misunderstood genre. Bravo.
To see more pictures from the concert, visit newsshopper.co.uk/leisure/music
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