‘Emma Smith: Meshuga Baby’ JW3 – Review
Let’s get to the point. This lady is an entertainer, a wonderful talent with a smile to fill the Albert Hall. Yeah, ok, so JW3 don’t yet know what jazz is, or how to fire up a loud speaker, or make a microphone work, but is that gonna phase our Emma?
Nah.
With an enthusiasm appropriate for any Director of Programming seemingly dressed by his mum, JW3’s William Galinsky took to the stage to introduce us to what turned out to be (for me at least) a revelation in green. Wrestling with a mic stand, post mic check, now too short to accommodate her gargantuan heels, Emma Smith grabbed the stage, commanded it and refused to let it go for 70 minutes or so of sublime, evocative music. Previous evenings had apparently seen Emma fronting a 20 piece jazz band deep in the West End but tonight, tonight there was nowhere to hide. Just Emma, a piano (outstanding virtuoso performer – Jamie Safir talented to a level perhaps unnecessary in a jazz performer (or any body) and certainly successful in snuffing out the nascent ambition of this late starter) and a great big stage. Yes the staging was odd, emphasising somehow the initial absence of atmosphere, but Emma didn’t care. She bashed out (in a good and caring way – depth, warmth, humour) tracks from her album Meshuga Baby to the delight of an increasingly warm and delighted crowd. And then she brought on Andy Schofield for a good old sax wrangle in the middle of it all.
Fab.
Shame you missed it. Try not to next time.
by Chris Parkinson