Becki Biggins

Review of Becki Biggins at Fulbourn Arts, by Eddie Konig

Becki Biggins? A little-known Dickensian pie-shop proprietor? A Tolkien escapee? A Channel Five children’s presenter? No – I hadn’t heard of her either – but I suspect hers is a name that we’ll all hear a great deal more of in the future.

Organised by Lynne Olney on behalf of ‘Fulbourn Arts’, Becki appeared with her ‘Dream Team’ at The Six Bells early in February. Something of a coup this; a 2009 Grammy award nominee for Best Contemporary Jazz Album, winner of the Marlborough Jazz Festival’s ‘Best Newcomer’ Award, Becki has had a No 1 album in the US Smooth Jazz charts and has toured extensively in the US and Europe and has appeared on numerous British TV shows – so – Los Angeles, New Orleons, ‘The Big Breakfast’, ‘This Morning’ – and now The Six Bells, Fulbourn High Street…

The Function Room was transformed into a very intimate ‘Jazz Club’ – the event was sold-out and 120 people packed the venue. The ‘Dream Team’ opened the evening – Becki later remarked on how lucky she felt playing with such musicians – and it was easy to hear why. Here were three wonderfully skilled musicians thoroughly enjoying the seemingly effortless interplay between instruments. Harold Fisher on drums was just a blur of brushes in the background from where I sat but I have seldom heard a drum kit played more expressively, Dave Olney on double bass was the rhythmic engine room but incorporated deft and delicate touches of originality and wit and Malcolm Edmonstone on keyboards was simply stunning – a virtuoso performance.

Becki sang a wide range of songbook classics and jazz standards, a timeless selection, but reshaped and reinterpreted them. Her versions are melodic, hook-filled, warm and beautifully arranged to take advantage of her voice and the easy cohesion of her ‘Dream Team’ . The set sensibly began with the well-recognised ‘Cheek to Cheek’ and ‘Lullaby of Birdland’ but it was Becki’s version of ‘Black Coffee’ that I particularly enjoyed; it began with just rich-roasted voice and slow, well-stirred bass – a delicious blend! Becki opened both halves of her set with songs that featured her tenor sax and I felt that we could have heard much more of that – her sax playing seemed to complement the phrasing and tone of her voice beautifully. The second half featured more songs from Becki’s new album ‘The Positive’ or, to give it its trendy or jazzy official title, ‘The +Ve’. ‘Accentuate the Positive’ was certainly great fun but it was Becki’s highly original version of ‘Alfie’ that showed off both the extraordinary range and control of her voice and also the individual and combined skills of her ‘Dream Team’. Dave Olney’s bass brilliantly complemented and occasionally gently sparred with Malcolm Edmonstone’s beautifully atmospheric keyboard solo and, whilst I am of an age to remember with some trepidation the twenty minute drum solos featured on some 1970’s Prog Rock albums, Harold Fisher’s drum solos showed how extraordinarily varied and exciting a set of drums can sound in the right hands.

Fulbourn was indeed privileged to host an artist of Becki Biggins’ standing. Well over a hundred of us enjoyed an evening of fine-quality, well-chosen jazz songs from a singer and her trio demonstrating absolute mastery of their material and instruments and conveying it with warmth, ease and genuine enjoyment to an appreciative audience.

Becki Biggins? Simply a very fine interpreter of classic jazz songs and a great entertainer. We definitely will hear more of that name in the future…

Eddie Konig.