It’s a cold Monday night at a new venue for me, 606 club in Chelsea Harbour. The 606 is a basement jazz supper club. Yes you heard that right a jazz club. For those who know me jazz does not feature high or even on my list of preferred genres with me often comparing it to aural masturbation, essentially a group of old men playing with themselves musically with no structure or happy ending. Tonight though we have none of those things as we welcome Natalie Duncan and her two piece band, a drummer (no brushes) and bass player (Fender bass not upright).
My biggest gripe with jazz is its lack of direction and seemingly endless jamming and I get that this can be the appeal but it’s just not for me. I like songs you know with words and that and I like melody and Ms Duncan does both of those things with her largely autobiographical tunes. So this was not a jazz gig for me, yes there were jazz elements (bass and drum solos) but I feel the music is more deep rooted in soul. Anyway whats in a genre and maybe pigeon holing Natalie as jazz is preventing here from reaching a much wider audience.
Being complete novices at the whole jazz supper thing we arrive way too early, the only patrons in the place assuming that you ate before the first set at 8. The place started to fill just before the appointed hour but I use the term fill loosely. I think in total there were fewer than twenty patrons in the place which is a crying shame for someone so talented. It’s an intimate room anyway and the small audience only heightened this intimacy.
Despite the numbers, and like a bunch of other gigs where the attendance is low, the professionalism of the artist carries them through and Natalie and mates delivered a thoroughly entertaining two sets and this despite her nursing a cold too.
Natalie is two albums in and the set draws heavily from last year’s excellent ‘Free’, a few new ‘lockdown’ songs and an oldie or two to boot. Chuck in a couple of choice covers from Phillip Glass (no idea had to google him) and Steve Wonder and it was the perfect set.
After some criticism from the artist of my last review where she asserted that comparison kills the individual, I won’t do that tonight. So if you like great soul music with a jazz feel played by great musicians fronted by a super talented individual with a beautiful voice then Natalie Duncan is for you. On top of that voice she is also a fine pianist too.
Both a return visit to this venue some time and another trip to see Natalie again will be on the cards.
Keep on jazzy rock and rollin y’all