There was a buzz outside of Ronnie Scott’s on Tuesday night, long lines forming for the second set on both sides of the club on a warm summer evening. Expectations were running high – her performance at the Love Supreme Festival in Sussex had been well received, for the most part, and her backing band – led by the veteran bass player, Melvin Davis, seemed in high spirits as they spilled on to Frith Street, enjoying a hard-earned break. Then there were the tell-tale signs as the audience emerged from the club after the first set, beaming and reluctant to be leaving so soon.
It is difficult to know what to expect when seeing Chaka perform live. When I saw her perform in Tokyo a few years back, the emphasis seemed to be on the ballads in her back catalogue, and whilst her voice was in fine fettle, she didn’t really let rip as much as I would have liked. On other occasions, I have seen her rely too heavily on her backing singers, and not really give the songs the credit they deserve.
But this night felt like it was going to be special, and so it proved. There was no customary warning about keeping conversation to a minimum, and not taking photographs during the performance. The jazz stopped suddenly, Melle Mel’s voice came through the speakers, and band went straight into I Feel For You. No long instrumental preamble. And on strutted the Queen of Funk, in great shape, and looking several years younger than her sixty-two years. Her voice was also in good shape, a little huskier than in years gone by, but still capable of soaring, and hitting high notes that most singers couldn’t dream of.
Melvin Davis, who previously played with Chaka between 1989 and 1997, seems to have encouraged her to go back to her funk roots. Next up was Earth Song, a hit for Rufus – by then, featuring Chaka Khan – back in 1977. Chaka then revealed that she was a woman, and went into I’m A Woman (I’m A Backbone), from her 1974 album, Rufusized. This song featured a tight solo from her superb guitarist, Bruno Muller, who has also played with Joe Sample, Billy Cobham and Gregory Porter, to name but a few. The band kept the party going, playing What Cha’ Gonna Do For Me, from Chaka’s self-titled 1981 album, which featured a keyboard solo by Jesse Milliner, keeping that early 80s vibe alive.
A stool was brought on to the stage for what the singer described as her ‘heart to heart’ moment, a she played Through The Fire, a song that David Foster composed for her back in 1984. As the song came to an end, the band pared back their sound, and Chaka harmonized with her three backing singers, the audience erupting as the song came to an end. She stayed with the ballads, perched uncomfortably on her stool, going into Love Me Still and Angel, before picking up the pace again with Sweet Thing, yet another song from the Rufus back catalogue.
The only disappointment came when Chaka waved to the audience as Sweet Thing came to a close, and announced that she was taking a short break. The break lasted two songs, and given that the audience had paid a high price to watch a single set, they probably felt they had the right to expect a little more. In the end, I concluded it was a small price to pay for what was – for the most part – a highly energetic performance, the singer belting out her funk classics, which is just as I would have wished.
After the break, she played My Funny Valentine, which seemed somewhat out of place in such a R’n’B driven set – even at Ronnie Scott’s. But she closed out the set in fine style. Tell Me Something Good was written by Stevie Wonder, and appeared on the superb 1974 album, Rags To Rufus. Mid-song, Chaka walked a lap of the small club, singing amongst the audience, who were cheering wildly. She returned to the stage for I’m Every Woman. She urged the crowd to get to their feet, but there was no need, as the club erupted. She waved farewell as the song ended, but was back for a storming version of Ain’t Nobody – the fifth song by Rufus of the evening.
The set lasted for an hour and ten minutes, and rather than feel short-changed by the lengthy instrumental break, I walked out thrilled that I had seen Chaka Khan at her very best, singing her heart out in front of a top-notch band, in a small, appreciative club.
Photograph courtesy of Carl Hyde, used with permission