Review of Lady of Soul - Taisha Tari in Concert

Trying to recreate in concert some of the greatest jazz, blues and soul divas of all time is no small achievement; to be amazingly successful and achieve a very personalised account of these ‘standards’ from such a variety of great singers shows the depth of technical skill and vocal range, intellectual understanding and emotional empathy. I was fortunate to see Sarah Vaughan at the London Palladium, and Taisha Tari as musician, singer and artist could easily perform on that stage. Saying that, the ‘solo’ artist can only perform at that level with a really superlative band which enhances the performance. The band, lead by Ben Gilgen was tight and always supportive without being intrusive, letting the star shine.

This was an unforgettable walk down memory lane as they celebrated some of the most timeless songs performed by successful female artists. These were some of the standout songs: Nina Simone’s Feeling Good, Etta James’s Something's Got a Hold on Me and I’d Rather Go Blind, Ella Fitzgerald’s It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) with Leon Wharekura, Fever (with double bass), Summertime, Gladys Knight’s Midnight Train to Georgia, I Heard It Through the Grapevine and I (Who Have Nothing), Billie Holliday’s All of Me (with flugel horn), Aretha Franklin’s Bridge over Troubled Water, Freedom, Respect, Chain of Fools and A Natural Woman.

 The Cambridge Town Hall was a perfect setting for this cabaret style evening. Tari’s voice was beautifully blended throughout, like a chameleon changing colours as the songs dictate. Her incredible vocal instrument was at times magical and inspirational with superlative phrasing, making the complex sound easy and intuitive, giving her own unique aroha to these songs and the evening’s performance. The final medley included Whetu Silver which included a beautiful waiata, performed to a full house bravo!