606 Club’s 40th Anniversary: Claire Martin Feat. Gareth Williams: Hamish Stuart: Samara Feat. Imaani

And so to our final night. And what a night it is. I have mentioned throughout these notes the musicians who were at the cutting edge of what we were doing at the old Club in the late 80's, but it wasn't just instrumentalists. In the mid/late 80's a slightly built but powerfully voiced singer started to appear at the regular late night jam sessions. Not yet 21 she was already working as a professional singer and she could stand her ground musically and personally with the best of them. Her vivacious onstage presence coupled with a totally focused attitude to mastering the art of singing stood her out from the crowd, and it wasn't long before people were talking about this latest addition to the world of jazz vocals. Her name was Claire Martin. By the time she was 21 she was performing at Ronnie Scott's and by 1990, at the age of 23, had landed her first record deal. From there she went on to establish herself as one of the handful of great UK Jazz vocalists of all time. Her CV by now is too vast to list easily here, but it includes work with the likes of Kenny Barron and Bill Charlap as well as performances with the Halle Orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the RTE Concert Orchestra, the Royal Northern Sinfonia, the BBC Big Band and the BBC Concert Orchestra (and not forgetting her memorable duo with Sir Richard Rodney Bennett which lasted for many years until his untimely death in 2012). A consummate artist and performer Claire is a great and truly supportive friend of the Club's, so much so that she was the other reason (see Liane Carroll, Wed 26th) that I moved the whole Festival to make sure she could be part of it! “Claire Martin....a meticulous blend of brilliant material and flawless craftsmanship” New York Observer

Another iconic figure long associated with Club is the brilliant Hamish Stuart. I was first introduced to Hamish by Tony O'Malley (Fri 21st) when Hamish came to one of Tony's gigs in the late 90's. After the gig Tony suggested that I offer Hamish a night, but I was reluctant as I didn't know him and offering someone with Hamish's track record (lead singer with the Average White Band, tours with Paul McCartney et al), particularly given the fees we could afford to offer in those days(!) was somewhat daunting. But I bit the bullet and called him up, and to my surprise he not only said yes, but was enthusiastic and completely supportive of the idea. And so began Hamish's lengthy residency with his standout band at the Club which went on, tours permitting, for almost 10 years. In that time I not only got to hear some remarkable music, virtually all of it originals, but I also got to spend time with someone who turned out to be generous and gracious with their time and a genuinely creative individual of the highest calibre. Hearing the originator of such classics as “La La Land” and “Person to Person” singing them live is quite special, but what I really admire about Hamish is that he's not content to settle back on his laurels but is constantly writing and producing new material, all of it of the highest quality. A wonderful artist, a brilliant band and a perfect way to bring the Festival to a close. “We love Stuart, the funky ex-Average White Band singer and rhythm guitarist with Chaka Khan, George Benson etc. He's still playing a superior blend of soul and jazz with a great band while his voice has that unique smoky soul allure.” Time Out

Which brings us to the last band of the evening. I first put Samara together as a band in the mid 80's. It was a very different outfit then, with a frontline of flute/sax and trombone and material that was a mix of Jazz and Brazilian. When I moved to the new place I put the band on hold for a while, but around the mid-90's was persuaded to start it up again. The new line up featured a vocalist for the first time and we added percussion to give a more authentic feel, and that has pretty much how the band has stayed ever since. W