Clare Teal sings herself back into fans' hearts in long-awaited Shrewsbury return
Jazz singer and radio presenter Clare Teal was in fine form for an intimate gig at Theatre Severn's Walker Theatre on Saturday, marking her return to the Shrewsbury venue after a two-year hiatus.
Most of the audience took the venue's advice to remain masked up, but one could sense the smiles behind the masks when Yorkshire's award-winning jazz vocalist sauntered onto stage, following her talented trio, and sang herself back into our hearts with her syncopated scat phrases.
Incidentally, the affable songstress who delights in small talk between her songs, gave a glowing review of the Instanbul restaurant across the road. She also revealed that as some folks don't buy CDs anymore in the age of Spotify ("yes we get paid by Spotify, and that 12 pence a month never gets wasted," she quipped) she would also be selling tea(l) towels in the interval... and she was, as well as signing CDs.
Since last at the Frankwell Quay venue in January 2020, Teal left the BBC after 15 years at the helm of their big band and easy listening jazz shows to pastures new on Jazz FM. She admitted she was relieved to see that her Shropshire fans have stayed loyal and, judging by the cheer, most of them have moved the digital dial for her new Sunday evening show.
Much of the evening's suitably swinging set came from her latest album, 2020's They Say It's Swing, including the gorgeous lilting If I Had A Ribbon Bow and Blossom Dearie's They Say It's Spring.
Other highlights included her elegiac version of Snow Patrol's Chasing Cars, a jazzed up version of Northern Soul classic Tainted Love and a spellbinding rendition of Elvis Presley's Don't.
Her two sets, lasting a total of two hours, also exhibited the considerable skills of her band, pianist and arranger Jason Rebello, double bassist Simon Little and new recruit Ed Richardson on drums.
Of course, no evening with Clare Teal would be complete without a tribute to her idol, Ella Fitzgerald, and she did so with an ultra-swinging Mr Paganini and her final encore, It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing).
It was a treat to see her swing back into action and I've got the tea towel to prove it.
