Most people who know of Nigel Kennedy know of him as perhaps the world’s foremost classical violin player.

As much as I enjoy seeing him play in his classical persona, Nigel loves playing the music of one Hendrix J, and whenever he’s in Sydney, he seems to find time to perform in a jazz context. His last few visits were no exception, with gigs at The Basement.

This time (Feb 21, 2008), he played at a very new and intimate venue, Kell’s Kitchen. This is just two blocks from the fabled El Rocco room, but the intimacy of Kell’s, suited Kennedy’s style right down to the ground.

 

 

 

With an audience of maybe 100, the whole band was relaxed and playing well beyond what I am used to seeing from these guys, and Nigel was chatting and joking with the band and audience members alike. The band was Jonathan Zwartz on bass, Hamish Stuart on drums, Dale Barlow on reeds, and Gerard Masters on keys.

The music was nothing short of brilliant, with the hottest version of Gillespie’s “A Night In Tunisia” that I have ever had the pleasure of hearing. And as to value for money … the second half of the show extended well beyond a 90 minute set, including about 20 minutes of Fire and Little Wing.

After the show, Nigel and a few close friends hung around for a drink, a smoke, and a chat.