Cellicious (Kate Shortt and Rupert Gillett)

(Lauderdale House, 22 September 2022. Short live review by Sebastian Scotney)

This was a clever choice to welcome a loyal audience back for the 2022-2023 season of Thursday jazz nights at Lauderdale house.

Cellist/ singer/ comedian Kate Shortt is a very special presence on the London jazz scene. An authentically funny person whose enthusiasm, positivity and good humour (and good/wicked sense of humour) are just as real and natural off-stage as they are in performance… where you also get the benefit of some nonchalantly brilliant musicality , communication and the kind of empathy and leadership skills from which anyone stands to learn.

I also liked fellow cellist/ singer Rupert Gillett’s kerflooey (look it up) sense of humour:

“We have a special deal on CDs tonight. They’re £10, And if you don’t like it, please return it and we’ll send you a CD we don’t like.” (*)

The two work together very well as a duo, and Gillett is a great jazz improviser. I was thinking at one point he must have listened quite a lot to the Grappelli/Lockwood way of improvising lines on the violin, but wherever it comes from he is a persuasive and very fluent jazz player.

Kate Shortt has a great new song which remembers the Vortex’s David Mossman, who called her “two t’s”. It is all about the welcoming spirit of community.

This is a great show. I was told that the duo recently did a house concert for a birthday party. What a GREAT idea, If there are readers out there whose budgets and room dimensions extend to such things, just do it.

FORTHCOMING THURSDAY JAZZ NIGHTS AT LAUDERDALE HOUSE

Thursday 6 October 2022, 8pm
Carol Grimes & Friends

Thursday 20 October 2022, 8pm
Karen Sharp Quartet

Thursday 3 November 2022, 8pm
Nigel Price Organ Trio, feat. Vasilis Xenopoulos

Thursday 17 November 2022, 8pm
Henry Lowther’s Still Waters with Dave Green

LINK: Book Lauderdale Jazz Gigs HERE

(*) Buy the CD (and take advantage of the deal above)