Ahead of the Caribbean Club concert, we look at the jazz-and-soul nature of Laura Marti's work and what makes her live sound so compelling.
What makes a Laura Marti evening compelling specifically as a musical event? Above all, the meeting of two related yet distinct traditions. Soul offers sincerity, physicality, and emotional openness, while jazz adds flexibility, room for improvisation, and a dialogue between the voice and the musicians. At the crossing of these languages comes a performance in which familiar phrases sound new each time.
The live format is essential here. Jazz tolerates mechanical repetition poorly: it lives in the moment, in barely perceptible shifts of tempo, in the pauses and accents that can never be reproduced identically twice. That is why a concert reading is worth more than any recording, the listener becoming witness to music being made right now.
Ukraine's jazz scene has grown steadily in recent years, and voices like Laura Marti's are an important part of it. Her programmes are usually shaped to lead the audience through a range of moods, from restrained lyricism to more energetic, rhythmically rich numbers.
The specific set list is best confirmed closer to the date, as live sets are often adjusted to the atmosphere of the evening.
