Not Just Jazz is a show conceived, produced and starred by myself, but made possible by many vital figures to which I’m forever grateful. Among them, of course, the musicians of the Not Just Jazz band are bright stars. I’m delighted whenever we have the chance to play together.

Such opportunity hadn’t presented itself since 2019, when we had the last Not Just Jazz show before lockdown. For this reason, meeting with the band —except for our guitar player, Reuben Reynolds, who unfortunately couldn’t join us for the occasion— to perform at Wednesday Mic Fever had me over the moon.

Playing in a band is completely different from using backing tracks. The connection between members allows everyone to propose ideas for the group to develop. One can rely on others and relish on how professionally and confidently they do their parts. While backing tracks demand that you bring the energy over something predictable, a band creates a powerful inner flow that allows you to express yourself freely.

This was particularly evident in our cover of “Superstition”, Stevie Wonder’s immortal hit song. Due to our conflicting schedules, we didn’t really have the chance to rehearse together, so we went on stage with the keys, references and some discussion, nothing else. There was no panic, though, no stress or insecurities. We know each other like family and we know that we’re all professional. We spontaneously decided to have multiple solos during the song and it flowed perfectly. It was exhilarating, I felt like a fan of my own band!

Here’s the song as it was recorded by a member of the audience:

This performance and its enthusiastic reception filled me with energy and inspiration to try to get Not Just Jazz going again. The gap since 2019 has been long enough! I’m also open to go back to Wednesday Mic Fever because the evening was great. On top of our performance, I was interviewed on stage by the host Miss Culture Jam. We talked about my recent gigs with Porsche, British Airways and Krantz Designs, my projects and a bit about myself.

How do you feel about a new Not Just Jazz show? Let me know in the comments!