ED2012 4/5 Reviews ED2012 Music Reviews

Drop Me Off In Harlem – James Lambeth Sings Duke Ellington! (James Lambeth)

By | Published on Friday 24 August 2012

Dim lights, café tables, and a smoky atmosphere accompany this jazz experience in ‘Drop Me Off in Harlem’. James Lambeth’s set includes classics from Duke Ellington that exemplify the songwriter’s sense of rhythm and feeling. Between each song Lambeth also gives details of Ellington’s life for some background. Yet he lacked energy and needed to move around the stage more; even ‘Take the A Train’ lacked the steam to run. The closing number, ‘It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)’, was energetic and lively, but I wished the rest of the set was like this. Even so, Lambeth’s set list will make you want to be dropped off in Harlem to meet The Duke himself.

The Jazz Bar, 20-26 Aug (not 23, 24), 7.00pm.
tw rating 4/5 | [Ana-Claudia Magaña]



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