Music

Alison Burns and Martin Taylor

The Loft, Perth

Rob Adams

four stars

THERE are quite a few Ella Fitzgerald tribute shows doing the rounds in this, arguably the greatest jazz singer of all’s centenary year, each of them focusing on different aspects of Fitzgerald’s long career. This one surveys and cherry picks from her association with the guitar marvel, Joe Pass. In doing so, it features familiar, evergreen songs including You Took Advantage of Me and They Can’t Take That Away from Me. It also has the added bonus of offering a guitar master class.

It’s a family affair: Dundonian Alison Burns sings the songs, sedately and without over-elaboration, and her father-in-law, Martin Taylor frames them with exquisite guitar accompaniments. He also takes on much of the audience communication, going off-piste slightly to recollect past Perth gigs with violinist Stephane Grappelli and giving entertaining insights into what it’s like to give guitar lessons in Folsom Prison.

We could have done with hearing more about his experiences with Pass in America, because he’s such a good raconteur, and getting more background to the songs from Burns. Taylor’s two golden solo spots were worth turning up to hear in themselves, however.

His ability to summon up interlocking melody, rhythm and bass parts is no longer a novelty but there are times, as on I Got Rhythm here, when he sets off at such a sprint on the lower strings that it seems unlikely that the rest of the arrangement can possibly fall into place. It does, and exhilaratingly so. He can make fewer notes count, too, though, and his blues-drenched, teased-out intro to Burns’ singing of I’m Just a Lucky So-and-So was pure string-picking poetry.