Abram Wilson: Life Paintings and Singing Pictures (Kings Place, 21st May 2011. Review by Stephen Vakil, Photo Credit: Ben Amure)
Abram Wilson almost blew the roof off Kings Place on Saturday night when he premiered Singing Pictures, five self-written songs inspired by paintings of young artist Sheila Maurice-Grey. The new songs, introduced by a question and answer session between Maurice-Grey and Wilson, reaffirmed Wilson's credentials as a writer, arranger and performer.Although only playing together for a month, Wilson's band (Dave Hamblett on drums, Alex Davis on acoustic bass and Reuben James on piano) was as tight and well-honed as the material demanded. In particular, 18 year old James delivered a standout performance which belied his youth.
For the second half, Wilson dipped into his 2009 album, Life Paintings, with songs including From Dusk 'Til Dawn, the gentle Even Though You're Bad For Me and Obama. The encore, Longing For Love, was another recent work, first performed only a few weeks ago as part of Wilson's project, Philippa, based on the life of child prodigy Philippa Schuyler. It not only provided another opportunity for Wilson to demonstrate his mastery of the trumpet but also to showcase his talents as a vocalist.