Cheltenham Jazz Festival: Lizzy Parks - The Daffodil, Cheltenham

Wednesday 29th April 2009

This is a Crackerjack review of Cheltenham Jazz Festival: Lizzy Parks. Do you agree? Rate and review this event.

Crackerjack rating: 8 / 10.

A couple of years ago singer songwriter Lizzy Parks appeared at Cheltenham Jazz Festival as a Jerwood Rising Star.

Last year she was on stage with her chums The Heritage Orchestra at the Town Hall and this time around the London-based soul/jazz singer managed to sell-out The Daffodil in her own right.

The unassuming star released her second album – Raise the Roof – last year on the Tru Thoughts label and launched straight into Spring Changes and the melancholy Ode to St Cecile.

The latter gave Italian trumpet player Fulvio Sigurta a chance to shine along with Ross Stanley on the Hammond organ who throughout the night pulled off some impressive keyboard work which was so intense it lifted him off his seat.

Lizzy, who studied jazz at the Birmingham Conservatoire, leans towards retro jazz, soul and ambient music but with a fresh and modern twist.

Craig Charles is a fan and has been singing her praises on his BBC6 Funk and Soul show.

The Devon-born songstress admitted she was used to playing in clubs and getting people up to dance, but The Daffodil audience seemed a bit reluctant to push back the tables and preferred to let dinner go down while they soaked up the music.

Forever and a Day was more upbeat and got toes tapping. With its dance undertones you could imagine it being a floor-filler in the right setting.

Lizzy relaxed as the evening went on, letting her band do their thing and complementing them with sweet and sassy vocals.

There were murmurings at the bar that the band drowned her out on occasion and Lizzy admitted The Daffodil was more echoy than other venues they’d played, but her friendly banter kept the audience engaged – especially when she declared music the perfect antidote to the credit crunch.

The players briefly left the album for a couple of covers before returning with the catchy Soul Bird which ended with a striking solo by double bass player Riaan Vosloo who also plays with the band Nostalgia 77.

Lizzy thanked everyone for coming and supporting the festival and the band, which seemed reluctant to leave the stage and was delighted to be invited back for an encore.

Lucy Parford

This is a Crackerjack review of Cheltenham Jazz Festival: Lizzy Parks. Do you agree? Rate and review this event.