Appearing with Jonah Evans on Minilogue synthesizer, piano and guitar familiar from Kasper Rietkerk album The Island on which singer Immy Churchill is also on; pianist Scottie Thompson who also played electric guitar and later was joined by guesting singer Lileth Chinn, an old school friend of Churchill’s on songs like Rabbie Burns’ ‘Ca’ the Yowes to the Knowes‘, James Taylor’s ‘Sweet Baby James’ and Joni Mitchell’s ‘Both Sides Now’ the evening was one of folk and beyond with a jazz twist just now and then.
My reason for coming along last night for the early evening hour downstairs was because last year on an album called Wake by German pianist Lukas DeRungs I was much taken by a vocal of Churchill’s on it. The piece was called ‘In the Dark.’ Churchill who studied at venerable Marylebone Road institution the Royal Academy of Music is the daughter of leading pianist and arranger Nikki Iles who conducts the NDR Big Band and Pete Churchill known for his work with London Vocal Project which Immy has also been part of.
What worked out best from what I heard was the Joni Mitchell and the darker Elliott Smith element of the evening. Churchill has played with Joni Mitchell tribute band Hejira a 7-piece touring band, set up by Pete Oxley.
There was a certain amount of what Churchill termed “musical chairs” as Evans and left hander Thompson swapped instruments. Evans’ use of the spacey synth certainly coloured the rawness of the tunes and warmed the textures. Churchill’s guitar playing was subtle, often softly strumming. There was a lot of re-tuning which to be honest I find a bit tedious. But to be fair to play the “weird tunings” of Joni Mitchell in such a blend that had to be done. Immy told us jokingly that she was terrified of coming in on the wrong chord. Fat chance of that happening but she wasn’t even humble bragging. Effortless at the mic she has great breath control and clearly comfortable even in such a close and personal roast of an occasion in such a tiny, pretty packed, room. The outside noise filtering in from the square where locals barbequed and rollerbladed outdoors on a warm-ish Friday evening wasn’t really an issue even when the lamp was turned down so low artistically. Final thoughts? A singer definitely on a rapid rise who is finding a framework to wrap her sound within. I’ll try to review her new EP when it’s released as a follow-up.
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