Tonight’s show takes its title from the 1964 Sam Cooke song and as might be expected is a presentation of protest songs from the civil rights era.
The show opened with saxophonist Nubya Garcia playing John Coltrane’s “Alabama“, a haunting and mesmeric piece that evokes the racial tensions prevalent in the South at the time, it was written in response to the bombing of an Alabama church in 1963. Garcia is part of the Jazz Re:freshed stable of young artists who have injected some dynamism into the current UK Jazz scene, and her playing here does the Coltrane piece justice.
Halfway through the song, Garcia is joined by drummer Rod Youngs and bassist Renell Shaw along with musical arranger Nikki Yeoh, the British composer and Jazz pianist.
Acting as host and main vocalist for the evening, Carleen Anderson takes to the stage and sits at a keyboard. The daughter of Vicki Anderson, step-daughter of Bobby Byrd and with James Brown as her godfather, her musical family tree is impeccable but she has the skills to live up to the reputation. She’s a diminutive woman but possesses a rich voice and huge vocal range, as evident on her opening number “Ain’t No Going Home” by Woodie Guthrie.
Next up is former Mercury Prize winner Speech Debelle who launches into Gil Scott-Heron’s classic protest poem “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” which is well received by the seated audience. She then launches into “No War No Peace” from her 2017 album “Tantil Before I Breathe”.
Next, Anderson performs “The Joke” by American Folk singer Brandi Carlile, layering her voice with digital effects to create a harmonising crescendo of sound. She uses this device on some of the other songs but it doesn’t add anything that a backing vocalist couldn’t do, probably just a way of making do without one.
Renell Shaw then takes centre stage to rap while Rod Youngs accompanies him on drums, both men livening up the crowd and getting shouts of encouragement. Worth checking out is Renell Shaw’s visual EP for his own tune “Bass Monk” which you can find at the end of this review.
Next up Carleen Anderson performs “Freedom“, a song on the 1991 debut album “Road To Freedom” from her old band The Young Disciples. She then launches into “Four Women“, the Nina Simone classic describing the lives of four very different women. The song ends with Nikki Yeoh playing increasingly louder before repeatedly banging the piano keys and slamming the lid, a gesture that gets huge applause.
The last song is the show’s title “A Change Is Gonna Come“, a perfect ending and a great showcase for Anderson’s vocal range. Tonight’s show had a fine cast of musicians who all do fantastic creative work in their own right and together put on a fantastic evening of enjoyable music.
Peace
Get Out Gigging 
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