When watching later last week and Holland doing his "boogie woogie pish" to misquote MES I was reminded of the time that I saw Holland and his Big Band live at the Edinburgh festival 14 years ago now.
Two years previously Holland had played 10 nights at the Queen's Hall but on this occasion he was playing the Playhouse, possible one of the worst venues in the world for seeing any band as it is all seated and the stewards take great relish, or did then, in making people sit down.
Anyway, Holland's big band were rather good, better than I expected to be honest, as "boogie woogie pish" is not really my bag. Usually he had Ruby Turner singing with him but on the occasion when I saw him it was Sam Brown, of Stop fame belting out the tunes and she wasn't half bad until she started to sing the Lorraine Ellison classic Stay With Me, one of my favourite soul sides ever and she gave one of the best vocal performances I have ever had the pleasure to hear live. I got so many shivers down the back of my spine it felt like I was being electrocuted, it was absolutely wonderful. Although after asking L about it, she says that she can't remember it but I am sure that I haven't imagined it.
Here is a track from the live album recorded by the Orchestra during the Queen's Hall shows in 1994 and Lorraine Ellison's superb version of Stay With Me. As far as I know, there is no recording of Sam Brown's version, although there is a rather good version by Ruby Turner recorded at Ronnie Scott's.
Jools Holland - Dr Jazz
Lorraine Ellison - Stay With Me
5 comments:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACFlm7vX624
Sam Brown performing Stay With Me with Jools Holland somewhere.
And yup she does a damn fine job of it. The original is one of my favourite performances ever by anybody. The Walker Brothers did a pretty good version as well.
I've only ever heard the Walker Brothers version. The Lorraine E. is awesome, ta.
I'm sort of surprised that you're a virgin to the Lorraine vers (search out her 'best of', well worth a listen), but I'm also supremely jealous mate. You lucky lucky little sod!
The first time I heard that I was about 15 or 16 and it took my ears clean off with the power of the track. If I had to strip my soul down to a handful of tunes that one would definitely be one of them.
Thanks for finding that Simon.
Davy, I once read somebody state in black and white that the Lorraine Ellison version was nearly as good as the Bette Midler version. There is no accounting for taste
Post a Comment