Everyone has a guilty pleasure or two. One of mine is Judith Owen, the amazing jazz, cabaret, and blues singer who hits town every so often from her home in New Orleans.
One of Owen’s astounding attributes is that she sounds like rum soaked in New Orleans music despite being raised in Wales and England. Her accent only emerges when she talks. Otherwise, you’d swear that gumbo is her favorite dish.
Last night at Django, a brilliant jazz spot located under the Roxy Hotel in Tribeca, Judith closed out her run of several performances with her swinging band a special guest on keyboards, Paul Shaffer of David Letterman fame.
(The band — not to be missed– includes David Torkanowsky on piano, Lex Warshawsky on Bass. Portugese drummer Pedro Segundo, guitarist Dave Blenkhorn, Ricardo Pascal on sax and Kevin Louis with his spectacular cornet.)
Django was packed, as usual, as Owen has built up a loyal following since her recording debut in 1996. Since then, she’s released 13 albums, all of them joyously crafted to show off her colorful, rich voice full of vivacious textures. Wearing her trademar fedora cocked on her head, Owen is also a supple dancer, who moves across the stage with a huge smile. What isn’t there to like?
Last night’s set included rave versions of Hoagy Carmichael and Johnny Mercer’s “Skylark,” Nina Simone’s “I Put a Spell on You,” Peggy Lee’s “Fever,” Louis Jordan’s jump and shout “Caldonia,” and Art Blakey’s classic “Moanin.” Owen has a rambunctious nature on stage that suits the uptempo songs. She has a lot of sass.
She can also get bluesy very quickly. Her band — almost all New Orleans players — are so top notch, every song is a success.On “Real Gone Guy,” Owen is all pep and snap. Her voice is full of colors on “Send Me Someone to Love,” and hilariously filthy– as she says — on Dinah Washington’s “Big Long Sliding Thing,” a song about, er, a trombone.
Besides Shaffer, other notables spotted in the audience were legendary concert promoter Ron Delsener, media maven Jill Brooke, and famed NY radio dj Jim Kerr of Q104.3.
The only question left is, When she will be back?
All of Judith’s albums are on Amazon and Spotify. Here’s a taste:
