Trumpeter and singer Muoneké has become a favourite at this venue in Taunton’s Paul Street: as ever he charmed the audience (most of whom, including me, had seen him before) and impressed everyone with the wit and inventiveness of his playing and singing.
Since I first saw him in 2023 his reputation in the South West has spread across country: he now gets regular gigs in London, and last year he was nominated for the Boisdale Music Awards for Jazz Artist of the Year alongside the likes of Courtney Pine, Emma Smith, the Ezra Collective and Nubya Garcia. He also plays with the Down For The Count orchestra. His quartet has been going for around eight years now, although there have been some personnel changes. The current line-up consists of guitarist Rich Llewellyn (the longest-serving member of the group), bassist Jim Rintoul (who did consistently elegant work all evening) and drummer Jay Scott-Hamilton.
As is customary, the proceedings kicked off with The Young Man With The Old Soul, a composition by the leader which references his (self-endowed) nickname. It gave notice to first-time listeners of what to expect from the gig: lively performances laced with audience-embracing warm humour. The obvious comparison for his vocals is Billy Eckstine (one of his heroes) but he is much more than a mere impersonator, whilst his trumpet-playing sits comfortably and stylishly in the mainstream-modern slot.
The leader was playing a pocket trumpet but still got a big sound complementing his warm, rich, bass-baritone, three-octave voice, well displayed by the choice of songs, the majority of which were popular classics. Highlights included April In Paris and Watch What Happens (both with fine work from Llewellyn, who was on particularly good form throughout the evening), People Will Say We’re In Love, They Say It’s Wonderful, Nature Boy, a fine non-schmalzy interpretation of What A Wonderful World, an affecting reading of T-Bone Walker’s Stormy Monday, and some of the leader’s agile scatting here and there.
Muoneké said that this was the first “proper gig” with Scott-Hamilton. To begin with the drummer seemed somewhat self-effacing, not a term you can often apply to drummers! However, his admirable inventiveness showed through and, in the second set, Muoneké drew him out with an exhilarating episode of voice and percussion call-and-response.
Marvin Muoneké Quartet, CICCIC, Taunton, 3 May 2025
