Esther Phillips: Ronnie Scott's Club, London

NO MATTER which aspect of the music appeals to you everyone has one or two artists who they hold up with great reverence against the rest; that select bunch of people that really mean something to you. Well, I couldn't believe my luck during the first fortnight in May, when my favourite male vocalist Al Green arrived; one of my all time favourite ladies, Gladys Knight was here; and to complete the trio, my long time heroine, Esther Phillips came over to work here for the first time in person. She'd already been to this country twice but on neither occasion had she worked live.