The house band - The Allstars Collective led by Paul Pacifico - put on a good showing of Quincy Jones classics and there were some extraordinary performances by British musical royalty. Mica Paris, Jocelyn Brown, Sonique and Beverley Knight were simply perfect and worth the night out alone. A highlight of the evening was an indescribable performance of 'Me and Mrs Jones' by Sarah Jane Morris. You really had to be there.
Hugely, unapologetically political from the first, Quincy Jones clearly has issues he feels strongly about. Equality being at the root of it all. The man is far more intelligent than I'd ever imagined and knows more about music, language and storytelling than I'd thought possible. He's been responsible for the soundtrack of most of my life, one way or another and that was enough, but it turns out he's passionate about influencing the next generation and changing the future.
The night was three hours of sheer joy. Helped by the fact that Mr J was sat two feet from me for the whole of the first half of the show. The 300 people in the room that night were blessed with some sensible talk about making the world a better place - and that's on top of the fantastic music. Blurring lines seems like a very good idea, and that's not just in music.
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