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Dorian Ford on Jazz and Roots at the St James Studio

I first happened upon Fumi Okiji’s Old Time Jazz Band when my duo with Jonny Phillips shared the bill with them at The Vortex last year. What struck me most was the grace and luminescence with which this ensemble interpreted these fantastic classics from the repertoire of the all time greats: Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday et al. There was never any sense that the individualism displayed was quirky for the sake of it.
As a singer, Fumi is able to sit comfortably within the sound of her ensemble, which is made up of very fine individual talents, in a way that for me recalls the amazing chemistry of Billie Holiday’s small bands with Teddy Wilson and Lester Young.
The lineup is the remarkable Stuart Hall on guitar; Roy Dodds, a master of intricacy and delicacy on drums; Idris Rahman, a player of great freedom and versatility; and Ben Davis, who has a fantastic sense of how to make the cello swing, and sing!