Old-time visitors to the club have probably got used to the no-smoking policy by now. Now they have to become accustomed to another innovation. As jazz is considered a late-night art form, a Sunday brunch or lunch might seem as enticing a concept as a bebop power breakfast. But anyone who used to frequent that much-missed Greenwich Village landmark Sweet Basil will recall that the laid-back sessions presided over by the charismatic trumpet veteran Doc Cheatham were one of the highlights of any visit to New York.
The cornetist and trumpeter Digby Fairweather — the first bandleader to appear in what will become, with luck, a regular event at Frith Street — doesn’t qualify for grand-old-man status just yet, yet he does have something of Cheatham’s knack of mixing burnished solos with droll asides and historical titbits. 35 Not Out!, his archly-titled career retrospective, serves up a generous portion of standards, with George Melly turning up on a couple of numbers.
Another veteran, the seemingly indestructible drummer Eric Delaney, gave Fairweather ample support in a set devoted to the sort of mainstream and revivalist repertoire that is seldom heard at the club during normal hours. Moten Swing segued neatly into its close musical cousin You’re Driving Me Crazy and Fairweather added a puckish quote from Bach’s Jesu , Joy of Man’s Desiring as he embarked on an understated solo.
That assured tenor saxophonist Karen Sharp grabbed most of the honours, especially on her featured number, Pick Yourself Up. The pianist Nick Dawson, taking time off from his duties in the house orchestra of Mamma Mia!, enjoyed his moment in the spotlight when he supplied the decorous vocals to the Johnny Mercer-Gordon Jenkins oldie PS I Love You. Later, he and Fairweather interpolated a sultry riff from Work Song as Sharp bundled through Lover Man.
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The Sunday afternoon series continues next month with a Valentine’s Day special presented by the singer-pianist Joe Stilgoe and the soul-jazz diva Natalie Williams.