Photo Credit: Cat Munro

Ian Shaw and Sachal Vasandani talk about their London Jazz Festival gig at the Hideaway in Streatham on Sunday 11th November 2012 

IAN SHAW:  Rare beasts that we blokes-wot-sing-jazz are aside, it’s always a thrill to stumble upon a new singer (couple of years ago now) whose spontaneity and sense of storytelling, both with words and otherly jazzy stuff, seem to stroll close to your own meandering insensibilities.

Lightly stalked was he, by me…on a music-sharing site (guess which one?)…only to lead to the realisation that the rather marvellous Sue Edwards revealed that she knew him in New York in as much as anyone could know him. “He never answers his phone, let alone replies to adoring comments on his MySpace page” she ruefully would add. “Okay” I thought. “Shelve it. The bugger’ll find me eventually”.

Whizz forward to LJF 2010 and me giving it rock all on Elton’s red piano at The Elgar Room in The Albert Hall, Sachal Vasandani jumping up with me and stunning the room with his musical mischief…and that voice! Dripping in honeyed, vibratoless long notes, interlaced with an impro trip-switch that is for sure a direct line back to bebop and beyond, Sachal comes armed with colourful arrangements (wait ’til you hear his That’s All I Want From You, a tune that Nina does on that tricky ’76 LP, produced by Richard Perry) that afford him bold, yet uber-connective links to a listening crowd.

We rehearsed in a tiny room off Oxford Street for a date down the Pizza in the March this year. Instant musical lock-horn I thought. I love having a great singer (Martin, Mancio, Carroll, Wilson, Herbert, Bell, Lewis, Detroit, Gordon, de Laria…email me for first names) up there with me. I relish the accompanying AND the vocal jousting.

Vasandani is smart and cheeky enough to love these things too.

I can’t wait to be up on the stage with him at the brilliant Hideaway for LJF 2012. He’s breaking an insane long-haul couple of dates to come back to London for the festival.

You’d be potty to miss this exclusive. Do come.

Ian Shaw. October 2012.

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SACHAL VASANDANI: It’s gonna be a blast to sing again with Ian Shaw. He’s a total riot on and off stage – I love his energy. He’s generous with me and my music, and was from the start, without even knowing me; wish I could say that about more singers. That quality alone reflects a deep confidence, something I respect highly.

When we’ve worked together, a couple of memorable times now, I’ve been delighted by both his capacity to tell a story and the humor in his singing, all while effortlessly running the whole range of the piano’s colours. And in the spirit of a true collaborative jazz artist, he takes the songs further than I anticipated, pushing them in creative spaces that are challenging and musical both. Singing along with him is a fantastic and spontaneous treat.

Maybe it’s because he’s so at home singing and owning the piano and just being himself that audiences totally love his shows. I know I do. He’s been kind enough to invite me to sing with him again. With Ian at the helm I fully expect that the show will swing from the heartbreaking to the hilarious, and I can’t wait to go along for the ride.

Sachal Vasandani. October 2012.

Start is 8:30 pm (doors 7:00 pm) –  TICKETS  £15