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home » festivals » Hampton Court Palace Festival » Hampton Court Palace Festival 2010
Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra sparkle on a warm summer's eveningHampton Court Palace Festival 2010 reviewMonday 14th June 2010 On a bend on the river Thames, Hampton Court Palace is a stunning venue and has stood the test of time well, with extravagant gardens, rumours of haunted buildings, and a world-famous maze which bring back fond memories from my childhood. Transport yourself back 400 years or so and Kings and Queens would have been entertained in this 16th century palace, with Shakespeare once putting on a show for King James I. It's rare to get the chance to see a performance in such a majestic venue, and many of the mostly middle-aged guests took advantage of a sudden favourable change in the weather to enjoy a picnic in the gardens prior to the start of the performance. Jools Holland and the Rhythm & Blues Orchestra, part way through a tour of the UK, regularly perform at summer festivals like this one, playing funky and soulful music perfectly suited to a warm summer's evening. A full capacity crowd of 2700, surrounded by high walls and turrets in the Base Court, were treated to an intimate and varied performance ranging from slow chilled ballads to fast funky boogie hits.
The first of the main soloists, Louise Marshall, sang a couple of slow ballads, with her powerful vocals filling the courtyards. Then Rico Rodriguez, a 75 year old trombonist, put down his trombone and sang a reggae version of 'What a Wonderful World'. The capacity audience of 2700 were well behaved, and despite warnings on the tickets to remain seating, once Jools Holland picked up his guitar a few ladies couldn’t resist the urge to stand up and dance, and pretty quickly the rest of the crowd followed. Finally, soloist Ruby Turner got the audience on their feet again, and Jools, awarded an OBE in 2003, ended the main set showing off with some impressive keyboard techniques, with his fingers whizzing up and down the keyboard. Two encores later, the crowd departed contented, leaving the ghosts in peace. 
review by Tim Smith photos by Tim Smith
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