Jacqui Dankworth and Charlie Wood were In A Sentimental Mood on Sunday afternoon when they pulled the curtain on the 2014 Music in the Garden season, with a selection of music by Ellington and Strayhorn.
A sell-out audience was in place for the successful duo, who are a team off stage as well as on it.
Once can only imagine that if they work as well away from the music as they do with it, they must have pretty darn solid foundations.
The set has a lazy Sunday feel about it, easy sliding standards including Do Nothin' Til You Hear From Me, I Ain't Got Nothin' But The Blues, and Sophisticated Lady, with occasional spurts of 'oomph' contained in well-known compositions including Take the A Train and I'm Beginning to See The Light.
After a morning of grey, the clouds had cleared away, and Jacqui and Charlie's vocal dances, aided by Wood's wonderful ability at the piano, even managed to tempt out the sun which warmed the Wavendon Rectory gardens.
In between the song deliveries, the audience, all settled into their deck chairs, or lounging under the stage canopy, were fed little stories about those responsible for the material: "(Irving) Mills and Ellington had a symbiotic relationship," Jacqui said, "...they needed each other," allowing a little reality of the long-since departed musicians and composers to mix with us.
It is a perfectly picked and naturally a perfectly executed session, and one we couldn't afford to miss having seen Jacqui and Charlie perform together at The Stables late in 2014, when they were simply sensational.
It's a different set of sounds today, but equally as appealing, and one that is wound up with the long-term favourite It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got that Swing).
John Dankworth and Cleo Laine's version of the number - caught on video in the latter year's of Sir John's career - is just incredible, and Jacqui is a chip off the old block.
It's a vastly different delivery, but still one to revel in, and a fetching way to end the day. Well, with the exception of the annual raffle, of course.
Charlie makes the announcement of a 'Ladies weekender pack...I don't know if that's a prize for the women or the men," he says to much laughter, "...It's worth getting either way!"
And all too soon, the classiest musical season on the annual calendar is over.
Is it too early to start looking to next year?!
Pics: David Hurley
After a morning of grey, the clouds had cleared away, and Jacqui and Charlie's vocal dances, aided by Wood's wonderful ability at the piano, even managed to tempt out the sun which warmed the Wavendon Rectory gardens.
In between the song deliveries, the audience, all settled into their deck chairs, or lounging under the stage canopy, were fed little stories about those responsible for the material: "(Irving) Mills and Ellington had a symbiotic relationship," Jacqui said, "...they needed each other," allowing a little reality of the long-since departed musicians and composers to mix with us.
It is a perfectly picked and naturally a perfectly executed session, and one we couldn't afford to miss having seen Jacqui and Charlie perform together at The Stables late in 2014, when they were simply sensational.
It's a different set of sounds today, but equally as appealing, and one that is wound up with the long-term favourite It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got that Swing).
John Dankworth and Cleo Laine's version of the number - caught on video in the latter year's of Sir John's career - is just incredible, and Jacqui is a chip off the old block.
It's a vastly different delivery, but still one to revel in, and a fetching way to end the day. Well, with the exception of the annual raffle, of course.
Charlie makes the announcement of a 'Ladies weekender pack...I don't know if that's a prize for the women or the men," he says to much laughter, "...It's worth getting either way!"
And all too soon, the classiest musical season on the annual calendar is over.
Is it too early to start looking to next year?!
Pics: David Hurley
