From the inaugural clang of his glockenspiel, Roy Ayers had every toe in The Jazz Café tingling with a pulsating, nostalgic energy. Despite it being the 76 year old’s third consecutive night at the Camden venue, he performed with astonishing spunk and charm in equal measure.
Much of the set – to its benefit – was interwoven with ad hoc instrumentals from Ayers’s talented band. During these mesmerising, meandering interludes, the ‘Godfather of Neo-Soul’ stood in apparent stunned disbelief at the artistry on show from his band. No more so than when his keyboard player switched on what can only be described as ‘voice mode’. As the jazzy “do-da do-da” melodies rung out across the venue, the crowd grinned as one, with Roy Ayers as their ring leader.
On some level, I’d like to think Ayers’s band was subtly paying homage to the longstanding English secondary school tradition of keyboard trolling (“Dick-dick-dick-dictionary”…). The jury’s still it on that one. But obscure noughties educational references aside, it was just one example of the performance’s many playful experimentations with form and soundscape.
Ayers is indeed a true performer and clearly loves every second of it. Whether he’s caressing his glockenspiel, or seducing the mic with his Californian tones, he peppers the delivery with enough bluesy squints and jerks to make the late great B.B. King jive in his grave.
The experimental renditions of his trademark numbers – ‘Everybody Loves The Sunshine’ and ‘Running Away’ – put an enchanting spring into an already highly sprung crowd. The jazz legend’s Harry Potter-chic sartorial flair served only to fuel this further. Though his headgear resembled JK Rowling’s Sorting Hat masquerading as road kill, its wearer was anything but downtrodden.
Neither too was the night’s opening act: Laura Misch. With help from Carmody and (her brother) Tom, Laura graced The Jazz Café with an elegant set of sax-infused vocals and slickly produced backing beats. From an exciting, burgeoning talent in the London jazz scene to a figure who will remain synonymous with the genre for years to come. Not a bad way to spend a winter Wednesday evening in north London.
Photo by Nicola Antonazzo.
