Chris Stamey & Cristina Munoz

The Betsy Trotwood, Clerkenwell, London

October 31^st 2023

To a sold-out but tiny audience of sixty fans, Chris delivered two sets that included songs from Sneakers and The dB’s, his duets with Peter Holsapple and his many solo recordings. Lit by the worlds smallest lighting rig (one bulb) Chris opened as alter-ego Jazzbo Jenkins, adept purveyor of American Songbook-style originals such as I Fall In Love So Easily and Je Ne Sais Quoi. For the second set he was joined by cellist Cristina Munoz, whose sympathetic playing combined beautifully with Stamey’s acoustic guitar and evoked the quieter moments of the Big Star Third collective. Cycles Per Second, From A Window To A Screen and Happenstance were all performed with respect for the originals whilst upbeat versions of early solo singles Cara Lee and (I Thought You) Wanted To Know sounded fresh and dynamic. An extended Something Came Over Me allowed for some rare instrumental improvisation. Throughout Chris provided witty introductions to the songs and explained how they had been written. An encore of 14 Shades Of Green – in response to an audience request – followed by 27 Years In A Single Day emphasised the songwriting quality on display tonight.  

Review written for Record Collector magazine