Nicola Farnon, International Jazz Festival, Liverpool. 2015. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

If art is being performed with an abundance of passion then gravitate towards it with as much passion in return, for sparks and genuine appreciation will certainly run back and forth for the entire time the performer is on stage.

The foyer of the Capstone Theatre in Liverpool may not quite have the comfort of its beautiful theatre but its relaxed composed space adds greatly to the wonderfully uncontrolled atmosphere generated by the Nicola Farnon Trio as they strut like gazelles in a party for lions, knowing full well they have the triple A passes, they are the ones that bought the sounds and if a lion were too look at them in the wrong way, then they would be shown the door quicker than a Progressive Rock fan complaining about the lack of cow bell in a pop performance.

Beautiful unabashed frenzy is the order in which to enjoy the trio as they settle quickly into a tantalising rhythm full of expanse and it has to be said overwhelming, heartening joviality. This is bought on by the way in which Wiltshire raised Nicola Farnon plays, not just her double bass with the skill of master weaver, but also with her expressive eyes which capture your Jazz soul as soon as you look into them.

With eyes and fingers that dart across instrument and the room, Nicola Farnon, Piero Tucci and Phil Johnson captivate the seated crowd in the foyer and play with the strings that are attached to their hearts as if being conducted by a maniacal but benevolent puppeteer.

With songs such as Almost Like Being In Love, God Bless The Child, a splendid cover of Abigail Lincoln’s Throw It Away, the gentleness of her own composition Lovely Day and a very fine and rambunctious version of Irving Berlin’s Cheek to Cheek, the audience inside the Capstone Theatre forgot about the February cold that was still nipping in the air like a hungry alligator deprived of a good meal and found that watching the Nicola Farnon Trio was really like finding themselves in a Jazz heaven.

Jazz should be enjoyed for what it is and without the sometimes cited pretentiousness that goes with it; in Nicola Farnon, joy and fun is most certainly the prescribed medicine.

Ian D. Hall