The Ronnie Scott's Story, Perth Concert Hall
Rob Adams FOUR STARS
Ted Rogers' 3-2-1 might be in need of reassessment. The TV programme that foisted Dusty Bin on an unsuspecting public proved to be the source of one of this tribute to a man and his jazz club's true delights. Forgive me if you knew this already, but Ronnie Scott's quintet, complete with the great Shetlander Ron Mathewson's singing double bass, were once Rogers' guests. And great they sounded too.
So, full marks to the band onstage for such a convincing handover from back-projected screen performance to a live, in the flesh reading of Herbie Hancock's Canteloupe Island. There's a lot of ground to cover in this show, from Scott's embracing, as a young saxophonist, of New York's 52nd Street scene to his establishing of an internationally famous venue in Soho via business proposals from the Krays (helpfully deflected by the twins' rivals) and visits to the club from just about every jazz musician of significance over the past sixty years.
If, like the club, it had its sticky moments early on, then once it hit its stride it gave a convincing and very entertaining precis of events, with singer Claire Martin channelling both Sara Vaughan and Mark Murphy very impressively and the quintet, with the club's very alert and accomplished house trio giving saxophonist Alex Garnett and the excellent trumpeter Freddie Gavita top support as they moved from Sonny Rollins to Miles Davis testimonies.
Garnett makes a splendid host, as well as playing tenor with Scott-like assurance and creativity, and his narration, interlinking fact with distinctly Ronnie-esque humour, captured all the frustrations, troubles and triumphs with just the right tone.
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