Jack Jones

USER (09Oct06): An Evening with Jack Jones…The Love Story Continues Symphony Hall, Birmingham, 30 September 2006 Last night saw the welcome return of a singer whose name has been at the forefront of popular music since the early 1960s. Jack Jones now in his late 60s and with a full head of distinguished white hair he wooed and wowed a large audience during his 2-hour show. Symphony Hall, a superb venue by anyone’s standards was only the second date on a 14-date tour, which sees Jack in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Continuing with the theme of “love” we were treated to a mix of standards and more contemporary material all given the unique Jack Jones treatment and his voice and style are unmistakable. It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening. Highlights for me were the opener Lionel Bart’s “Where is Love”, the scene setting “Stranger in Paradise”, “Our Love Is Here to Stay” and a jaunty version of “Just in Time” plus the haunting Alan and Marilyn Bergman & Michel Legrand song “One Day at a Time”, and a superb Gershwin medley (mainly songs from Porgy & Bess) which he used as an encore. There really was so much music… Having walked amongst the audience and chatted with many who clearly knew his recordings very well a request for the theme song from the TV series “The Love Boat” resulted in a high-octane performance of the number early in the second half of the show. Accompanied by his regular trio led by the outstanding pianist Tom Garvin and a super orchestra that brought the number up to sixteen the sound was beautifully balanced and the only minor criticism was that the lighting did not always reflect the mood of the song but Jack Jones took that in his stride with humour. All in all another milestone evening for both Jack Jones and Symphony Hall and I hope he will come back soon… Clive Fuller 5

USER (09Oct06): An Evening with Jack Jones…The Love Story Continues Symphony Hall, Birmingham, 30 September 2006 Last night saw the welcome return of a singer whose name has been at the forefront of popular music since the early 1960s. Jack Jones now in his late 60s and with a full head of distinguished white hair he wooed and wowed a large audience during his 2-hour show. Symphony Hall, a superb venue by anyone’s standards was only the second date on a 14-date tour, which sees Jack in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Continuing with the theme of “love” we were treated to a mix of standards and more contemporary material all given the unique Jack Jones treatment and his voice and style are unmistakable. It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening. Highlights for me were the opener Lionel Bart’s “Where is Love”, the scene setting “Stranger in Paradise”, “Our Love Is Here to Stay” and a jaunty version of “Just in Time” plus the haunting Alan and Marilyn Bergman & Michel Legrand song “One Day at a Time”, and a superb Gershwin medley (mainly songs from Porgy & Bess) which he used as an encore. There really was so much music… Having walked amongst the audience and chatted with many who clearly knew his recordings very well a request for the theme song from the TV series “The Love Boat” resulted in a high-octane performance of the number early in the second half of the show. Accompanied by his regular trio led by the outstanding pianist Tom Garvin and a super orchestra that brought the number up to sixteen the sound was beautifully balanced and the only minor criticism was that the lighting did not always reflect the mood of the song but Jack Jones took that in his stride with humour. All in all another milestone evening for both Jack Jones and Symphony Hall and I hope he will come back soon… Clive Fuller 5