Leafy Walpole Park is hosting alfresco live jazz for the 29th consecutive summer, thus reaffirming the good taste of Ealing ratepayers and the high quality of the borough’s jazz professionals. Some fans stayed away on the opening night, possibly fearing a passing thunderstorm or objecting to an adult ticket increase from £2 to £5, but things warmed up as the youthful Green Collective brought jazz-funk to the South Stage and pianist Ted Beament’s duo entertained the beer tent.
The mingled aromas of Thai curry and seared hamburgers were percolating into the main marquee as singer Claire Davies arrived with her all-star sextet. There is a certain tweeness about Claire, who described her musicians, her listeners and life in general as “lovely” at least twice too often. She also overdid the delicate balladry in her early-evening set at the expense of free-wheeling numbers like My Favourite Things which her soloists, notably hot trumpeter Martin Shaw and deft pianist John Horler, fell upon like starving wolves. Drummer Winston Clifford had no solos at all, which probably explained the thrashing he had given his kit while setting up earlier.
It was left to dashing Greek tenorist Vasilis Xenopoulos to bring real passion to the evening with his Wind Machine, a brilliant adaptation of big-band classics by Ellington, Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Buddy Rich and others for a quintet. Organist Bill Mudge and drummer Peter Cater never dropped the ball as Vasilis and ace guitarist Nigel Price took full-blooded, hard-swinging solos, and Steve Fishwick played the trumpet lead with real fire. Everyone left smiling.
Four bands nightly until July 28 (ealingsummerfestivals.com)
