By Fiona Musgrove.
Jazz singer-songwriter, Katriona Taylor, accompanied by jazz musician Duncan Clarke, gave us another fantastic Zoom concert on Tuesday 19th May 2026. Interwoven with their own original scores were hits such as, ‘A Star is Born’, (originally performed by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper), a rendition of Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes duet ‘Up Where We Belong’ (from the ‘An Officer and a Gentleman’ soundtrack), and ‘One Day I’ll Fly Away’ by Randy Crawford. The latter, performed as a duet, was, according to one member “totally magnificent”.
It was their own compositions however, that stole the show. Each track was different, one had a Beach Boys vibe, other’s were more jazz-based and another piece, co-produced by Jason Dason, sounded like a potential James Bond film theme. The pairdiscussed how the interpretation of lyrics and words through music, can create a unique rhythm. Their set list of original numbers performed included; ‘Coming Home’, ‘Stay Close Together’, ‘Remember Those Days’, ‘One Hundred Words’, ‘Honey Girl’, ‘You Sting Me’ and ‘Scream’.
Katriona revealed that a few years ago she had written ‘Sonnets’ which was inspired byWilliam Shakespeare quotes such as, ‘if food be the music of life play on’ from TwelthNight. Often Katriona interprets words as colours, linked to emotions or experiences,which allows an association of ideas and encourages her imagination. Recently, she has been able to explore this concept further through joining 10 other songwriters on a monthly on-line composition writing course. In one session entitled, ‘Reggae’, she incorporated the word into the lyrics of a song, ‘I Hate Reggae, He Hates Folk’, which when performed within the group, could equally be played with a reggae rhythm.
After watching the Amy Winehouse film, Katriona was encouraged to pick up her guitar to write ‘Scream’. Unlike music composed on a piano, the guitar allowed a more elongated effect. The softer sound allowed us to hear her emotionally fuelled words, ‘breathlessness’ and enabled Katriona to go through her octaves without being drowned out by the accompanying instruments. This demonstrated Katriona’s ability not only to push her voice to a different level, but by skilfully crafting her words and lyrics,throwing a shroud over the true meaning behind the song.
Her versatility was equally evident in the drama of the James Bond themed musical score, played on the piano by Duncan. Here she incorporated lyrics such as ‘dripping poison’ evoking images from the film and acting as a double entendre within this electrifying piece.
‘Honey Girl’, left Eye Matter feeling emotional, not only due to the lyrics, but alsofrom the song being dedicated to her young daughter. Katriona revealed how proud she had felt when her 8 year old daughter had joined her on stage whilst performing this piece, “It was the first time I had ever held hands with someone on stage and it was a lovely experience to share together”.
Katriona cites her ability to juggle her personal life as a mother of two, and herincreasing schedule of live performances, down to the strict time management developed when she worked as a lawyer for 10 years after leaving school.
Katriona Taylor and her band have a long list of venues they are due to perform at but she is particularly excited to be playing Ronnie Scott’s once again, this time a matinee performance on Saturday 9th August 2026. To read more about Katriona Taylor, please click here
https://www.ronniescotts.co.uk/find-a-show/katriona-taylor