I say yeh yeh

Georgie Fame should come with a 'quality assured' sticker on him.Because that's what the man is: quality.There have been some high-calibre musicians gracing the stage at the new-look Fermain Tavern recently and none more so than last Friday.

The well-groomed veteran took to the stage in a cream linen suit, a glass of Chardonnay in hand.

Fame was joined by two top musicians; Eric Clapton's regular drummer Ian Thomas and jazz guitarist Jim Mullen, who has played with the likes of the Average White Band.

He explained the evening would be a debut gig for the three-piece. His sons, James and Tristan, usually back him but had a prior engagement in Blackpool, hence the hastily arranged line-up.

'One of my sons asked me, "Didn't you play Blackpool?", said Fame.

'I did, back in 1960...' and he was off, regaling the Tav patrons with tales of yore with the greats and name-dropping like a Who's Who almanac of musical celebrities.

'... It's true, just ask Tom Jones.'

This was all greeted warmly by a mainly seated crowd who - with all due respect to my elders - probably hadn't frequented the Tav in a good few years. This was good to see, albeit in an oddly refreshing way.

Fame explained the set was going to be chronological in a sense.

He told how, in the space of a week during the early 1960s, he heard three songs that would have a profound effect on his sound and playing: Midnight Special, by Jimmy Smith, Grooving With Jug, by Gene Ammons and Richard 'Groove' Holmes, and Booker T and the MGs' Green Onions.

Referring to the latter, Fame said: 'I went out and bought a Hammond B3 organ that week,' before kicking off with a sublime take on the instrumental classic. He gave the Hammond organ, generously loaned for the night, a run for its money - you would have though Booker T himself was up there on stage. However, this was no carbon copy cover - this was homage with style.

Drummer Thomas seemed to effortlessly blend in with Fame's playing as if he had been part of the trio for years. With just a basic drum set-up it was a masterclass in less is more drumming as he locked into the groove - never once breaking sweat despite being dressed in a suit and open-neck shirt.

Guitarist Jim Mullen teased fluid jazz licks out of his blonde Aria FA51 with his distinctive style of plucking with his thumb, similar to that of Wes Montgomery.

We heard songs from the likes of Ray Charles, Mose Allison, Gershwin, Hoagy Carmichael, Carole King and, of course, the hit that made Fame a household name, Yeh Yeh.

Fame wears his influences on his dapper sleeve - r 'n' b, jazz, rock 'n' roll, Dixieland - it's all in there, but never sounds derivative.

And he can still hit the high notes, clear as a bell, sometimes sustaining them to dazzling effect.

For those who baulked at the entry fee of £25, just think how much you would be paying to see such a line-up in the UK, and this is on our doorstep. And it was something special.

Fame is not far off 70, but has no desire to give up.

'If you people keep coming, we'll keep playing.

'I'm gonna bop 'til I drop.'

Yeh Yeh.