Newbury Jazz’s night of rhapsodic Franco-nostalgia

Newbury Jazz: Becca Wilkins Reverie

at Arlington Arts, Snelsmore

on Tuesday, May 6

Review by BRIAN HARRINGTON

I DON’T know whether the fact that this was a Tuesday night or whether potential audience members were intimidated by the prospect of a night of Chanson, sung entirely in French but Arlington was only sparsely occupied tonight.

Either would be a pity, and the latter potential concern was rapidly dispelled by Becca's wonderful vocals and by the fine instrumental contemporary jazz accompaniment, courtesy of Olly Chalk on keyboards, Sam Ingvorsen on double bass and Billy Pod on drums.

Chanson can be broadly defined as having its origins in French street music and as embodying the passions and power of love, hate, anger, elation and often fixated by sex and the seamier side of life.

The modern jazz interpretations gave ample opportunity for extemporisation and improvisation.

Tonight marked the opening of their UK tour in support of their new album which pays homage to the lyrics and songs of the likes of Jacques Brel, Charles Azavour and Edith Piaf. Jazzwise magazine described Reverie as “a chance to experience Becca’s other worldliness in this heady collection of rhapsodic Franco-nostalgia”. I can’t better that summary.

Moving deftly from lesser known songs like opening track Hymne à l’amour, Pt 1 (Hymn To Love) originally by Edith Piaf to better known songs like La Mer (The Sea) by Charles Trenet and the powerful Amsterdam, a Jacques Brel song which has been covered by David Bowie, among others.

Becca explained that the song that got her in to Chanson was something she heard on her car radio one night while driving home from a show, it was Yves Montand’s version of Sa Jeunesse (Her Youth) a Charles Aznavour song. “I was instantly captivated,” she said.

Je hais les Dimanches (I hate Sundays), a track which bemoans working while everyone else is enjoying a day off, was wonderful. The evening ended by turning almost full circle with a return to Hymne a l’amour, Pt 2.

A fascinating and hugely entertaining night of excellent music which deserved to reach a larger audience.

Everyone who did attend loved it.