Written and arranged by pianist Alex Webb, New York club Cafe Society lies at the heart of his bittersweet musical story, a venue that ahead of its time championed racial equality and became in the famous phrase “the wrong place for the right people” hosting the finest jazz talent of the late-1930s and 40s, stars at ease to express themselves in Barney Josephson’s Greenwich Village spot including the likes of Billie Holiday, Lena Horne and Count Basie. 

 

Already spawning a well received theatre version, the concert show features singers Vimala Rowe and Ciyo Brown and a band bristling with talent including Nathaniel Facey and Shaney Forbes of Empirical, trumpeter Sue Richardson and bassist Miles Danso.

 

Gigs to catch are Pizza Express Jazz Club, London (18 August); The Snape Proms, Aldeburgh (23 Aug); and into the autumn with a Scarborough Spa Theatre show on 26 September and JW3, London (15 October).
Vimala Rowe, above. Photo: Idil Sukan