Passion, verve and versatility

Greg Smith, a member of the house band, plays the blues.

THE band began the night with a toast to recently departed blues legend John Lee Hooker. Hooker would not have been disappointed with the Cotton Club, which is regarded, with some justification, as the top jazz and blues venue in town.

The decor is rather hammed-up. Pictures of jazz and blues greats line the walls. The house band plays in front of a stained glass backdrop and candles provide almost the only illumination.

However, this is not the place for a romantic first date, unless conversation is drying up. Sweet nothings will be drowned out by the club's overriding priority: top quality music.

The cosmopolitan nature of the band, with members from China, the United States, Canada, the Philippines and Italy, was matched by the diversity of the audience. There was a mix of Chinese and Westerners in a wide age range.

The absence of a cover charge made the expat-level drink prices, at 35 yuan ($4.2) for a glass of beer or wine and 45 yuan ($5.4) for a cocktail, more palatable.

The reassuring number of regulars in evidence attested to the quality of the music. The fare was a mixture of jazz and blues standards, but the house band did not play it safe. Every band member got his turn at the "see what I can do" improvisation solos.

There was a succession of guest musicians. Legendary vocalist Andy Williams put in an appearance, and the band was joined later by an astonishingly versatile bass player and a harmonica player whose passion and verve were the highlight of the evening.

Weekends and Tuesday's open-mike night are good times to witness the energy and vitality created by such impromptu performances.

The band's emphasis was on instrumentals, but house vocalist Terrence Bowry, when permitted to display his awesome talents, added a welcome bit of showmanship to the ensemble.

The dreadlocked singer effortlessly produced a silky-smooth voice that was a welcome respite from some of the more frenetic pieces of the evening.

In fact, the whole band exuded casualness. They ambled onto the stage at 10:25pm, about an hour after the publicized start time. They looked like they had just wandered in off the street. Each "short break" they took stretched on for over 20 minutes. But when they returned, their performance was one of disciplined brilliance with some really magical moments.

The band play Tuesday-Sunday from 9:30pm. They might not turn up at this time but at weekends the audience certainly does, so arrive before 10:15pm or after 11:30pm to be guaranteed a seat.

The Cotton Club

1428 Huaihai Zhonglu, at Fuxing Zhonglu

Tel: 6437-7110