Friday night saw the second of two jazz shows at the Bermuda Fringe Festival, 'Dahn de hill to Daylesford', by quartet T,G & Friends.

The T was pianist Tony Bari, the G being Gita Blakeney-Saltus. The Friends were Stan Gilbert, bass, and Ronnie Lopes on drums.

Fringes, generally, feature less traditional performances than are available at the main event. Such was not the case at Daylesford on Friday, where the quartet delivered an entirely user-friendly set that broke no new ground, but did underline the depth of talent available in these Islands.

To be truthful, the term 'Friends' encompassed not only the rhythm section, but also the song selections and, without stretching the point, the audience.

The whole event was akin to a party, with Ms Blakeney-Saltus chatting intimately to an audience that included relatives, colleagues and, well, friends.

At one point, she even had the house lights turned up so that she could identify who was there. There's a sign of how comfortable the singer is in performance. Many show people would not dream of shortening in any way, the metaphorical distance between the stage and the seats.

Gita, which is how everyone knows her, is as much a national treasure as the more formal objects she used to work with at the National Gallery.

The diminutive singer is constantly improving: her range broader, her timbre more polished, and her control more complete than ever before.

Tony Bari is a fine pianist. He roams freely around the keyboard, interpreting and reinforcing the lyrics of any tune he accompanies. His neck is made of rubber; one day, grooving along, he'll shake his head right off his shoulders. Let's hope that day is well in the future.

Ronnie Lopes is a versatile and rock-solid drummer. Last time we saw him, I seem to recall, he was wearing a pork-pie hat, as one of the 'Booze Brothers'. On Friday, he evidenced from time to time an especially light counterpoint on the cymbals.

Stan Gilbert is as much a fixture on Bermuda's musical scene as are avid audiences. Mr. Gilbert is enormously self-effacing. On 'The Nearness of You', before he and Mr. Lopes made their entry, Mr. Gilbert stood so still that one feared rigor mortis might have set in. His solo on 'Route 66', Friday's closer, was the most laid-back 24 bars of the night.

The repertoire included such classics as 'Stormy Weather' Gita reminded us that she shares a birthday with Lena Horne (and, tangentially, Mike Tyson) – 'Honeysuckle Rose' and 'The Look of Love'. Just because you can sing these songs in the shower doesn't make them any less valuable in the hands of professionals.

The standout in the 70-minute set was 'God Bless the Child'. That Gita takes on Billie Holiday gives you some idea of her confidence; that she succeeded so superbly tells you all you need to know about her talent.

In the dead of winter, with a spring in her step, Gita also sang 'Summertime' and 'Autumn Leaves', proving that she truly has become a vocalist for all seasons.