Posted By: Robin Easton
Hear from our very own star of the Piano Bar, Joe Thompson, on how he introduced Jessie Buckley to the world of jazz:
I met Jessie at the Ivy Club piano and the first thing we did was play and sing together. Two days later, we were rehearsing at my house and I was introducing her to Ella Fitzgerald and the like, and within weeks we were gigging together regularly, including a weekly residency at Annabel’s.
Nowhere were we more at home, performing together, than in the Ivy Club Piano Bar, where we first met. Jessie was just nineteen years old at the time, and taught me as much as I taught her. She always used to say, “Joe, you shouldn’t just be playing in the background, you should be on stage!” When she later took to the stage, en route to collecting an Oscar, she wrote me a lovely review for my new website with typical generosity:
“Joe Thompson is a unique and special musician who brings a magic and story to every piece he plays. As a singer I have felt like I could fly when I sing with him. He has a way of getting right into the heart of the song, drawing out every emotional tug that makes those listening escape from their world and lose themselves in the magic. I have never met anyone like Joe and he’s simply just the best!” Jessie Buckley
All I can say to that is, “Right back atcha Jess!”
