On Sunday 17th March the Sunshine Coast Jazz Club (at the Caloundra Power Boat Club) was given a breath of fresh air again when NINA & THE GROOVE TRAIN opened the first session with “My Baby just Cares for Me” followed by the old standards “Blue Moon” & “Love” with the audience joining in . A classic Ray Charles “I Just Love You So”. Then, unannounced, a most pleasant surprise; Jane, our Raffle expert, serenaded us with a delightful Irish lullaby to wild applause. Nina continued the swinging music with “Sway” an Ella favourite “Paper Moon”, “The girl from Ipanema” “Beyond the Sea” and a slow ballad “Body & Soul” finished the first set. The musicians were all given time to show their own talents. Miquel on keyboards, Ian on drums, Glen on guitar, Andrew on bass, and Ron on tenor sax - all great soloists. We must also give a thanks to our sound man Ben who keeps the sound balanced.
The second set opened with Sade's “Smooth Operator” (does anyone remember Sade?) A bass intro from Andrew led into a swinging “Sunny Side of the Street”, “Slow Boat to China” then a nice version of “Moonglow”. Nina kept the standards high with a Nancy Wilson “What a little Lovin' Can Do”, followed by a beautifully sung “Georgia” including a lovely solo from Ron on Tenor Sax which deserved the great applause. A Latin beat to the fun song “Manyana” told us the afternoon was closing. Nina finally closed with a memorable Armstrong classic “What a wonderful “World” and it was a wonderful afternoon.
NINA & THE GROOVE TRAIN……. thank you, thank you for a most enjoyable musical afternoon.
REVIEW by Casper the SCJC's secret reviewer.
