Despite having seen the film, I didn’t realise that Ian Shaw appeared as Percy in the 2005 film which looked at the life of British executioner Albert Pierrepoint. 

Fortunately for the sell-out audience at this third of the current series of Seven Jazz  gigs,  there was no hanging about! The man kicked off with the Stealers Wheel classic [in fact it’s the only tune I know of theirs] “Stuck In The Middle With you” and he got the audience singing along right from the start. 

Next up was the Joni Mitchell song “Be Cool” from her 1982 album “Wild Things Run Fast” ….

Charm ‘em

Don’t alarm ‘em

Keep things light

Keep your worries out of sight

And play it cool

Play it cool

Fifty-fifty

Fire and ice ….

Like it says on the tin - that’s exactly what Ian Shaw did. He has an obvious affinity for the music of Joni Mitchell and a bucket load of charm.

In 1979 Joni spoke of her feelings for her “Blue” album released 8 years previously - “At that period of my life, I had no personal defenses. I felt like a cellophane wrapper on a pack of cigarettes. I felt like I had absolutely no secrets from the world and I couldn't pretend in my life to be strong .... or to be happy. But the advantage of it in the music was that there were no defenses there either”.

Joni’s words have something within them that ties in with my perception of Ian Shaw. The songs he played were all emotive and I suspect he is only able to wring every ounce of emotion from them by virtue of having inwardly dissected the lyrics himself. 

“Somewhere Towards Love”, “That Old Black Magic” and the Beth Nielsen Chapman song “Touch My Heart” followed …. And then “Making Whoopee” – a song dating back to Eddie Cantor in 1928, now associated with the film “The Baker Boys” – Ian took the liberty of adding a verse involving a certain Rodrigo from Pinner!

The Leslie Bricusse / Tony Newley song “Who Can I Turn To” came next, then “The Lady’s In Love With You” written in the year World War Two started.

 

“Pamela” brought reminiscences of his early childhood in Flint, Wales and if you check the BBC Wales website, the entry for Ian Shaw shows “Ian inherited a love of jazz from his late father, a cornet and trumpet player who was a fan of big band music”. Music is in his blood!

 

First half closer was Joni’s “Big Yellow Taxi” which saw an amazing interlude of quiet which substituted for the non-existent guitar solo …. Only an artist with “big cojones” can do something like – but truth to tell the silence swung!

 

The first half had been based on Ian’s album “Sign of The Time” and I got the impression that his manager(ess) wanted him to do a full Joni set in the second half to be based on his 2006 album “Drawn To All Things” – however, rightly in my opinion, Ian chose otherwise. 

 

He did start the second set with Joni’s “How Do You Stop” which contains the wonderfully evocative lyric “Hard Bodies, Soft Emotions”. Joni has described her songs as being “Portraits of Disappointment” and this was one of those.

 

“Stay In Touch” deceptively was about Joni’s cat …. Miaaoww!

 

I’d not heard his next song -  an Oscar Brand Jr song featuring a lyric about a snake …. nor had I heard the Janis Ian song “Welcome Home” …. Dedicated to  soldiers everywhere – but I second that sentiment completely!

 

Next was a dedication to Amy Winehouse and the closer was from Guys and Dolls – “Sit Down You’re Rockin’ The Boat” with more audience participation which included nicking a chocolate from a couple seated at the front table, whilst they were involved in something more amorous – a kiss!

 

The encore involved a brilliant tale about George Melly, a caravan in Cleethorpes and a song entitled “(Take Out Your) False Teeth Mama”…. which segued into a tribute to Shirley Horne – recorded by her in 1991 “Here’s To Life” ….

 

No complaints and no regrets 

I still believe in chasing dreams and placing bets

But I have learned  that  all  you give is  all you get

So give it all you’ve got ….

 

That’s what Ian Shaw did in this gig – it went down a bomb as well. 

 

I’ve left it a while before writing this review, but as I write it comes back clearly to me. I enjoyed it and so did the audience – you can’t ask for more and what’s more it’s been retained in my dwindling memory bank. 

That’s the sign of a great gig!