The Kings Place Jazz Orchestra [Monika S Jakubowska]

LOVE is for sale, not in the sense of the once controversial Cole Porter song, but in the fact that there is a bumper crop of jazz-themed Valentine Nights this year. It’s not surprising – vocal jazz leans very heavily on the Great American Songbook (GAS), which covers the whole gamut of romantic love, from the unrequited to the unravelling and all stops in between.

My favourite lyric on the subject is from I Wish I Were in Love Again by Rodgers and Hart: When love congeals/ it soon reveals/ The faint aroma of performing seals.

But there will be more optimistic takes on affairs of the heart from the stages below on Feb 14.

Over at Kings Place, Hove’s finest, Claire Martin (OBE), fronts a show called Love in Full Swing. I have seen Claire in various settings over the years, and she can carry, caress, cajole and kick any song into whatever shape she desires. A class act indeed. Backed by the recently formed Kings Place Jazz Orchestra founded by trombonist/composer Callum Au (in only its second outing), there will be standards made famous by Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Richard Rodney Bennett, Sarah Vaughan and more GAS favourites. It’ll be both eloquent and exciting. Tickets: https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/jazz/kings-place-jazz-orchestra-presents/

Vimala Rowe

Anyone who has caught the summer concerts at the Parliament Hill Bandstand on the Heath or been a regular at September’s York Rise Street Party in NW5 will be familiar with Vimala Rowe, as part of a duo with award-winning Soft Machine (and more) guitarist John Etheridge. The outrageously versatile Vimala brings her own trio to Camden’s Green Note on Feb 14, wrapping that lovely voice around a selection from the GAS in a very intimate setting. Further details: www.greennote.co.uk/production/vimala-rowe-trio/

Another vocalist, Ineza, who is of Belgian / Rwandan heritage, has made a splash as part of pianist Alex Webb’s various ensembles, in particular their Women’s Words, Sisters’ Stories show, which is also the name of a very accomplished album on the Copasetic label. She plays Toulouse Lautrec (yes, it’s south London, but the club is well worth the trek) with her quartet on Feb 14, with a show called The Love Songbook. Ineza excels at squeezing all the emotion out of a tune, so be prepared to be moved and exhilarated in equal measure. Here’s hoping she’ll do Who Needs You (as recorded by Aretha) and I Can’t Give You Anything But Love, both of which feature on the above album. Tickets (and directions): https://toulouselautrec.co.uk/etn/valentines-night-with-ineza-the-love-songbook/
Ineza also has a strong, self-penned and very personal album called IBUKA out now on her own Ineza Music label.

Heidi Vogel [Charlotte Baladi]

Over in the east, the Cinematic Orchestra’s vocal powerhouse Heidi Vogel has a brace of shows at the Vortex (take the Mildmay line to Dalston Junction and it’s a two-minute walk) on Feb 14 with her trio. Heidi also does a fine line in Brazilian/Samba music, so she will definitely be introducing a little Jobim to go with a menu of songs associated with Betty Carter, Ray Charles, Duke Ellington, Nina Simone and Miles Davis (My Funny Valentine, perhaps?). See: www.vortexjazz.co.uk/event/valentines-day-heidi-vogel-james-kitchman-bruno-heinen-2-shows/

Tina Carr [Tatiana Gorilovsky]

Talking of the Mildmay, singer Tina Carr has a new record out called Moon over Mildmay. But, no it’s not a homage to Gospel Oak, but refers to Newington Green’s wonderfully quirky and eclectic Mildmay Club, where she will be launching the album. It’s not on Feb 14 (it’s Wednesday, Feb 18) but Tina is also exploring the romantic entanglements of the GAS – the title track of the record is an adaptation of Love Song from Apache by Johnny Mercer and David Raksin and other tunes include I Didn’t Know What Time It Was (Rodgers and Hart again) and Hoagy Carmichael/Jane Brown Thompson’s plaintive I Get Along Without You Very Well. She is relatively new to the London jazz scene, but Tina has a wonderfully engaging husky, lived-a-life voice and the band is phenomenal. Details: www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/london/the-mildmay-club-london/tina-carr-album-launch-moon-over-mildmay/e-emovpk