Frith Froths

This was Ruth Frith's first visit to Abbey Jazz and she treated us to a fine variety of great songs. Ruths repertoire spans the whole range of jazz from the twenties to the present day, and so we got a fine sample from this first appearance.

I'll get into trouble for telling you, but she worked the entire evening with the handicap of a cold, not that you'd have noticed, but I guess that added an extra touch of sexiness to the lower register!

These Abbey sessions are unusual, as you know, for their 'jam session' format. The spontaneity this allows has been a great joy over the years, as visiting musicians get the chance to experiment and often cheerfully take musical risks they wouldn't take in their 'regular' bands.

Believe me though, it's not an easy thing for a featured singer to take on. They have to trust that the backing group will be there at the crucial moments in their arrangement, except of course that the "arrangement" doesn't exist! Ruth dealt with that dilemma superbly last night and we somehow managed to get her from one end of the tightrope to the other, intact.

Many thanks to Rod Kelly, whom it was nice to welcome back, and who was in great voice as well as great finger. Ken Wright, having arrived back from Spain only hours before we kicked in the first number, was forced to leave his stuffed burro in the car, but promises to demonstrate his flamenco skills at the next gig.

We were a bit thin on the ground last night, as a couple of tables-worth of the regulars were away on a jazz weekend. We hope they had a great time, and won't miss the second chance to hear Ruth Frith in April

TTFN.