“There’s no place on earth that I’d rather be” sings Georgia Cécile, strutting onto the stage of Cheltenham Town Hall, “Give me the bright lights, big cities for me”. Originally recorded by Marvin Jenkins in 1965, opening their set with ‘Big City’ connects Georgia and her band with a song’s lineage that alone includes Shirley Horn, Cannonball Adderley and (more recently) Andrea Balducci. While Cheltenham itself may not be a Big City, if the American Songbook is to be thought of as a populated space then it would be one heck of a metropolis, and Georgia’s taking us on a guided tour.

What’s clear from the outset is that this is a thoughtful set prepared and delivered by thoughtful artists. Setting the context for this evening, Georgia tells that the crowd that she’s “so grateful and overwhelmed to be here…my very first festival was here at Cheltenham on the free stage.” Cheltenham is a festival that has form nurturing relationships between artist and audience, so this is a rewarding check-in on a career that has certainly grown since that original appearance 8 years ago. How have things changed? Well for starters the people hankering to see Georgia now comfortably fills the Town Hall. She has all their attention as she pays tribute to her grandfather who introduced her to ‘The Greats’ then treats the audience to some of those charts including Sinatra’s ‘Moonlight In Vermont’, Sarah Vaughan’s ‘Mean to Me’ and Duke Ellington’s ‘I Like the Sunrise’.

Dressed in matching cream blazers, the quintet backing Georgia are some of the main beneficiaries of these charts. Alec Harper (saxophone) shines as he solos and and Pete Horsfall’s artisanal use of a trumpet plunger mute must be heard to be believed. As for Georgia’s talent, some of the more interesting moments come outside of the ‘American Songbook’ theme when she showcases bits of new writing. In particular, the piece she has recently co-written with a 21-year-old collaborator is inspired by “that feeling that something’s not quite right” and features lyrics that sting with truth.

Often the most memorable moment of a guided tour is the tour guide themselves. Although the script may be the same for everyone conducting the tours, its the personality of the individual guide that leaves its mark. This year at Cheltenham, Georgia Cécile and her band conducted a high quality guided tour of the American Songbook. The most memorable moments were when Georgia stepped away from the script and channeled her undeniable talent through her own voice and words. It will be exciting to see her again at Cheltenham as she develops her own songbook.

Check out Georgia Cécile’s forthcoming tour dates here.