KEVIN FITZSIMMONS- Working Day & Night: Live At The Pizza Express
Jazzwurx JWRO 12CD
Kevin Fitzsimmons (v), Leon Greening (p), Adam King (b), Frank Griffith (ts), Matt Fishwick, Lloyd Haines (d)
Recorded live at the Pizza Express with a top instrumental quartet, Fitzsimmons proves to be a bright, confident jazz singer with a little trick of running words together speedily to produce a sort of personal scat effect. He has sung at Birdland in NYC and at Ronnie Scott’s in London and already received quite a lot of praise from jazz critics and enthusiasts. An admitted admirer of the late Mark Murphy, Kevin does have something of the approach and style of the great man. His voice is strong and he is a swinger, riding on the beat at all times.
There is sturdy support throughout this disc from Frank Griffith’s tenor sax and Leon Greening’s piano. These two also provide provocative solo spots to the programme. King and Fishwick are solid in accompaniment also. The set is made up mainly of standards although he sings one very good song that he composed himself: Don’t You Dare Get Bored With Me. The final Georgia On My Mind was recorded at a different gig but has the same band except for Haines on drums.
Fitzsimmons is certainly a jazz singer with a nicely developing style of his own; he is certainly not a popular singer who sings with jazz musicians although this is by far the biggest category in so called vocal jazz. He is on good form throughout this live gig which, unlike some, works purely as a recording. Once he becomes well established, Kevin should be very popular on the jazz scene and records like this, with support of this high standard, will doubtless help him along the way.
Reviewed by Derek Ansell
Jazzwurx JWRO 12CD
Kevin Fitzsimmons (v), Leon Greening (p), Adam King (b), Frank Griffith (ts), Matt Fishwick, Lloyd Haines (d)
Recorded live at the Pizza Express with a top instrumental quartet, Fitzsimmons proves to be a bright, confident jazz singer with a little trick of running words together speedily to produce a sort of personal scat effect. He has sung at Birdland in NYC and at Ronnie Scott’s in London and already received quite a lot of praise from jazz critics and enthusiasts. An admitted admirer of the late Mark Murphy, Kevin does have something of the approach and style of the great man. His voice is strong and he is a swinger, riding on the beat at all times.
There is sturdy support throughout this disc from Frank Griffith’s tenor sax and Leon Greening’s piano. These two also provide provocative solo spots to the programme. King and Fishwick are solid in accompaniment also. The set is made up mainly of standards although he sings one very good song that he composed himself: Don’t You Dare Get Bored With Me. The final Georgia On My Mind was recorded at a different gig but has the same band except for Haines on drums.
Fitzsimmons is certainly a jazz singer with a nicely developing style of his own; he is certainly not a popular singer who sings with jazz musicians although this is by far the biggest category in so called vocal jazz. He is on good form throughout this live gig which, unlike some, works purely as a recording. Once he becomes well established, Kevin should be very popular on the jazz scene and records like this, with support of this high standard, will doubtless help him along the way.
Reviewed by Derek Ansell
