Have been to see Soweto Kinch this evening. Went without any great expectation, more to support the local venue. But it was excellent. The gig was based around his recent tower block concept album but the band stretched out and really swung. Not sure who the bass and drummer were, they weren't the guys mentioned in the programme and Soweto's on stage introductions were lost in applause. But both of them really had a fine propulsive feel, not at all clodhoppping and rocky. Soloists apart from SK were Abram Wilson on trumpet and Femi Tomowo on guitar. The narrative of the rap segments was ok too and helped shape the evening.

Finished with a crowd pleasing party piece whereby SK improvised a rap to random images sent from various audience member's mobile phones to a laptop prior to the start and then back projected. Fun and quick witted in a music hall kind of way. Enough good playing to satisfy a jazzer I would say, though you guys may disagree ?

SK has a post-Ronnie Scott jazz soh-eg 'The Jazz Planet'-keeps it real.Closer to poetry at that level of articulation.I've got to say the tower block thing for me doesnt quite work in its detail, but its still great that he's done it and more good stuff to come I'm sure.