One of the world's greatest jazz singers Lizz Wright again does not disappoint, here live in Berlin on this 2018 recording issued today on her own socially-conscious label. You will melt listening to this masterly performance. Lizz has Chris Bruce on guitar, Ivan Edwards on drums, Ben Zwerin (son of the legendary jazz journalist and trombonist Mike Zwerin) on bass guitar and Bobby Ray Sparks II on keys in her band. Sparks is raucous and lit up inside on his organ intro to 'The New Game'. Holy roller 'Walk With Me Lord' grooves big time Edwards chopping up the sizzling beat and Bruce gets us head bobbing along. Allen Toussaint's 'Southern Nights' is a pleasure as Lizz displays all the time in the world singing the classic song.
No one does humility and sincerity as well as Wright. Hearing her a decade earlier in 2008 on that occasion circa The Orchard at the agreeably louche Soho Revue Bar noticing the audience spontaneously burst into applause for Jimmy Page and Robert Plant’s ‘Thank You’ was something you don't often witness when a crowd can often times be very uptight or shy but on that occasion seemed to just let their repressed demeanour transform itself. You definitely thank your lucky stars as the crowd did that night and surely here in Berlin going by the liveness of the audio capture. Everytime you hear this remarkable human being you just know what a humbling experience it is to soak it all in like the thrill of the first time magnified, shared and powerfully meaningful as expressed manifoldly here. SG
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