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Elina Duni: Live at Jazz Cafe Posk

This was not the gig I was expecting, but it was amazing and full of truly beautiful music played by a stunning quartet who had never so much as soundchecked together! Elina Duni stepped in at the last minute when the billed singer - Vidya, who I wrote about almost exactly a year ago - was sadly taken ill.

06062025 Elina Duni @hilaryswriter

Joined by Vidya’s original band - Rob Luft (guitar), Mirko Scarcia (bass) and Corrie Dick (drums) - Elina performed an eclectic collection of originals, arrangements and standards. The band came together in a way that seemed more effortless than it probably was in reality. Luft and Dick are frequent band mates, often with Duni herself, but this was the first time this quartet had appeared on stage and the sound was just beautiful.

Duni has an international background and career, so there were songs from Albania, the Balkans, Brazil, Italy and the great American songbook, but they were all arranged to show the very best of these accomplished musicians. The evening had spoiled Duni’s plans for an evening in with Netflix, but she rose to the occasion and the audience were thrilled by her unexpected appearance.

The sick singer was not the only spanner in the works, with Scarcia’s double bass suffering some damage that meant he performed on bass guitar instead, but it worked well with Luft’s guitar and, of course, the drums were in safe hands with Dick.

The welcome is always warm and the sound excellent at Jazz Cafe Posk, and last night was no exception. It was wonderful that such an international venue played host to such a global set list that took us all around the world, with Balkan wedding tunes, Brazilian samba melodies and a romantic Parisian tune from Serge Gainsbourg.

It was sad that Vidya was unable to bring her own music, but the Elina Duni quartet more than made up for that disappointment and the night was a real treat for the appreciative audience. I interviewed Elina back in 2023 for Harmonious World and Rob has appeared a couple of times on the podcast, with a very special live episode in July 2024 that really gives a flavour of his playing. If you weren’t able to join us for the gig t Jazz Cafe Posk last night, take a look at the video on my YouTube channel!

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Location: 238-246 King St, London W6 0RF, UK

Comments

Anonymous said…
I was there too. An excellent night.
15/06/2025, 22:37

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