Music and Musicals                                     The Ellington Jazz Club
January 3rd 

Even the sound check for JAZZ HANDS was such an unexpected delight that I feared the actual set would reek of anti climax. As if reading my thoughts, Pete Saunders muttered dryly, “Hmm, s’pose I should’ve just started with something a bit rubbish…” Thankfully, for myself and the few that attended, there was not one moment of rubbish in JAZZ HANDS.

Saunders didn’t merely begin by “performing” as such but rather gently invited us through a session that was by turns melancholic and whimsical, and occasionally both at the same time. “It feels a bit like a boozy night, doesn’t it? Let’s start with something a little slow.” He then hit a succession of notes on the piano that, in my state of awe, I could only describe as quintessential cool. It was apparent that this guy was in tune with the unique atmosphere that could only be a combination of midnight and freely flowing booze; though the setting and the mood were hazy, we were all utterly compelled throughout his first song.

The brilliance of this guy is that when you think he’ll zig, he’ll zag, and so the second song, rather than hitting the same admittedly delightfully cool note, was a hilarious and cute number, ‘Everybody Wants to Be a Cat’, a cover of the Sherman Brothers’ piece. He brought the same conviction and soul to a silly cat song as he did for his next original number about a relationship falling apart. The whole set flowed seamlessly.

The music itself was an example of wonderful contrasts; though he hits the piano notes with expert precision and speed, his voice was as raw and strained as a latter day Bob Dylan. It was as if the fingers remained eternally vigorous but the voice was marred by time, cigarettes and alcohol. It sure didn’t sound polished, but he conveyed a kind of dignified weariness that I’m not sure the most polished voice could achieve.

He concluded with a song conveying his yearning for performing at places far beyond dingy little jazz clubs. It was both humorous and soulful, but if he were to leave behind the dingy little jazz clubs, we’d all lose something.

JAZZ HANDS runs Monday February 9 and Tuesday February 10. You can find tickets via the Fringe World guide here.