Hey ho...

...is the title of Clare Teal's brilliant latest album. Tonight I've been to Selby town hall to watch her and her pianist/arranger, Grant Windsor, perform - she is a fantastic showman (showperson?), warm and very funny. And if anything, she sounds better live than recorded. Having said that, I bought two of her CDs in the interval and she signed one of them for me. She talked in the first half of the show about her early years before being signed to Sony, and mentioned a duet she'd done with Jamie Cullum (who I love), so I told her that it was the first song Desmond Carrington had played on radio 2 when I got in the car to come to the show, and I had taken it as a good sign :-)

There were a fair few songs I didn't know - but enjoyed nonetheless. Highlights for me were the first song - one from Hey Ho called One More (Baby Be Good To Me) - It's Not Unusual, a very funny song written by Dory Previn and a couple by Ella Fitzgerald. The encore started with a beautiful arrangement of Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol (a song which I can't listen to without crying). There'll never be a better version than theirs, but damn, she came pretty close.

If you like jazz, swing and big band music, I'd highly recommend a night out with Clare Teal :-)

x

Ps sorry she's a bit blurry, she doesn't really sit still!