Morning:
14°c
Some fares could fall by more than a third when Oyster is extended to every national rail station in London, it has emerged
More...
New Moon is nothing if not an international advertisement for the hungry virtues of virginity and young people can’t get enough of it
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Theatre
A smart, prickly and rewarding view of sexual and emotional confusion
Cock
Restaurants
Kitchen W8 is a bargain for this area, if such sophistication is what you crave
Kitchen W8
Too long and drawn out but very entertaining with excellent special effects
This is a peculiar play and does not work for me. Some of it is very funny but there are real flaws
Alex has a strong powerful voice and was faultless, she is far better now than she was on the X-Factor
London,
Jack Massarik's rating
Reader rating
Both these divas (divae?) are favourites at Scott's but last night the cost-conscious cognoscenti could enjoy them in a cosy Moor Street basement just a Soho minute from Ronnie's and at a quarter of the price.
Fired by the challenge, the two rivals locked larynxes with gusto. Natalie, first up, switched from her usual soul-family material to standards from the jazz book, including Great Day, recorded by the great Sarah Vaughan.
"This one will test the band," she confided, "because it goes up in semitones and I didn't write it out for them."
Not a problem for pianist Barry Green, whose enterprising trio was stoked by bassist Sam Lasserson and rising Scots drummer John Blease.
Later Natalie's diamond-bright voice lasered creatively through scatted choruses of But Not for Me.
Anita's opener, Don't Getz Scared, raised the bar for vocalese (lyrics to a Stan Getz blues solo) and more scatting, followed by The Meaning of the Blues, a ballad from her album, Kinda Blue.
Canadian tenorman Steve Kaldestad, a surprise guest, then enhanced her mellow versions of The Lamp is Low and a rarely-heard Billie Holiday song, Reaching for the Moon. Vocal honours were about even before a final "scat-off" raised the rafters.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
