Charles Bascome is now in his eighth year of providing local residents with a quality annual jazz performance, and this year's show was of the same high calibre.

This year, Mr. Bascome played along with pianist James Williams, saxophonist Andy McGhee, bassist John Lockwood and vocalist Leyoni Junos.

The evening started off with a fast-paced Duke Ellington song and moved into a more sensuous, languid rendition of "Sophisticated Lady'' and the upbeat "It Could Happen To You''.

I have a personal preference for Afro-Cuban elements fused with traditional jazz, so I particularly enjoyed a number by Joe Henderson which I believe was entitled "Recorder Bay''.

With Afro-Cuban jazz, the piano almost doubles as a percussion instrument -- and this song highlighted one example of how the talents of pianist James Williams really stood out during the course of the evening.

Apparently, Mr. Williams is a veteran on the international jazz scene, and his talents include experience as a composer, album producer and bandleader.

The Tennessee native trained at the Berklee College of Music began his formal piano studies at the age of 13, and the audience got a taste of his early musical experience as the lead organist at a Baptist church in Memphis when he performed a solo of Kirk Franklin's "The Reason Why We Sing''.

And throughout the evening, it was his talent -- especially in the aforementioned Henderson piece and "Angel Eyes'' -- that consistently shone brighter than the other musicians in the quartet.

Conversely, saxophonist Andy McGhee, who had an impressive set of credentials and numerous years of experience, didn't particularly impress me.

All the musicians were technically very good -- Mr. McGhee included -- but his performance fell a bit flat and he didn't have any real pizzazz, especially as he was leading much of the time.

However, I tend to really enjoy jazz that features vocals, so I was especially pleased with the parts of the programme that featured Bermuda's own Leyoni Junos.

Ms Junos gave an excellent performance, as usual -- both her singing and her stage presence was right on the money.

Her intro was quite effective, as well; they dropped the lights except for a single candle burning in the middle of the stage, and she began singing Nina Simone's "Papa Can You Hear Me'' while still offstage as a tribute to her father, the late guitarist Leon Jones.

The songs selected by Ms Junos were intended to pay homage to the artists that inspired her when she first began singing, including Nancy Wilson's "Never Will I Marry'' and Roberta Flack's "Trying Times''.

My only criticism of her part of the performance is that I wished a few of the songs had been chosen which would've done a better job highlighting her impressive vocal range -- I've heard her hit some notes while singing at the Hamilton Princess that gives you goosepimples.

Nevertheless, it was a good show -- especially if you prefer traditional jazz to the new experimental sounds.

Kim Dismont Robinson