On Tuesday night I treated myself to a night out at the bijou cabaret space Crazy Coqs at Brasserie Zédel in Piccadilly Circus to hear the MOBO-nominated vocalist Natalie Williams perform in an intimate duo setting with one of the UK’s most popular pianists, Jamie Safir.
This was the premiere of a brand-new showcase of songs entitled ‘Double Standards’, paying homage to the Great American Songbook, and taking a packed house of eager listeners on a joyful and well-crafted romp from the 1920’s to the 1960’s.
To hear Natalie sing in such a stripped-down setting was a first for me as I had only heard her in a variety of larger ensembles – and she did not disappoint. The chemistry between these two artists was evident from the first song, Frank Loesser’s ‘I Believe in You’ which segued beautifully into ‘Never will I Marry’ another Loesser classic, and which set up their clever theme of two songs from the same writer.
When musicians enjoy working together it’s intoxicating for the audience and we all were carried along on their effervescent joy of making music together. Hoagy Carmichael’s ‘Skylark’ was given a soulful and bluesy treatment by Williams who has a vocal range for days, an extraordinary gift that she demonstrates well and with thoughtful musicianship. She reminded me of Dinah Washington with her rendition of ‘The Nearness of You’ which included the much over-looked verse. Jamie’s accompanying was world class and showed a deep understanding of singers and lyrics.
During his soloing he played with great flair, some truly impressive rhythmic ideas and sensitivity to the song itself. A bonus treat was to hear him also introducing the songs and giving us interesting and funny stories about the writers, my favourite being the quip about Cole Porter being the ‘Ed Sheeran of his time’ with a reference to Porter writing the songs and the music. Harold Arlen’s ‘I’ve got the World on a String’ was a standout song for me as Natalie wowed us with her scat singing ability and again, that jaw-dropping range.
The encore was a moving and perfectly placed ‘With Every Breath I Take’ from Cy Coleman’s ‘City of Angels’ hit show. A truly uplifting night out enjoying two artists deliver the goods with humour, great camaraderie and musical excellence.
