A full crowd of eager, life long fans, Cheltenham Town Hall was ready for what was set to be quite the evening in the company of the legendary saxophonist and singer/songwriter Curtis Stigers.

With the Cheltenham Jazz Festival back drop, the stage was decorated with fine instruments which were to be played by some of the most gifted Jazz musicians to accompany Stigers on his festival set.

Appearing on stage solo at first, Stigers immediately warmed the crowd with his charming personality and infectious humour. With just his guitar as accompaniment, Stigers treated the crowd with an acoustic version of the first track off of his new album Songs From My Kitchen: Volume One titled Until You Were Gone. You’re All That Matters To Me followed which of course was met with loud cheers and rapturous applause. The song, which featured on his debut album in 1991, is still as relevant now as it was back then, proving its timeless sound. The same could be said in fact for much of Stigers music. Jazz never fades, it never loses its appeal and in the case of music by Curtis Stigers, it never loses its soul.

Stigers voice was flawless. More impactful and more soulful live, his tone was soothing and you could feel every word he sang. Stigers shared his moving story of finding his biological father just a few years ago and that the story had a rare happy ending of both being eager to have a relationship and hilariously added that “his wife is the best part of the deal” and “neither of us needed any money”. After the story, he played an emotional performance of Good to Know You which also features on his new album. The song silenced the audience and saw them fixated on the songs lyrics and the emotion in Curtis’ voice.

With his band joining him on stage, the highly gifted musicians filled the Town Hall with their talent which they made look so easy. With a couple of covers including a delightfully Jazzy cover of My Funny Valentine, the crowd and all on stage were really getting warmed up.

The evening was full of stories which made the night even more special. Curtis shared the story behind being featured of The Bodyguard Soundtrack and how it sold millions of copies no thanks to him but purely down to Whitney Houston. With that he played (What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding.

The entire evening was filled with treats across his career and many numbers from his new album. The album, he explains, is titled Songs From My Kitchen: Volume 1 as he held many livestreams from his kitchen during covid. Each number soared across the town hall in such a way that it reminded me of why I love live music so much. His recordings simply don’t do him enough justice.

There’s something about the voice of Curtis Stigers which really feels homely. His upbeat stage presence and humour made the show that bit more special. His saxophone playing was sensational and truly showed what a remarkable musician he is. Jazz music live is a wonderful experience that everyone should take the opportunity to discover and Stigers is a must-see for any fan of live music. Flowing swiftly into I Wonder Why, many faces in the crowd showed joys of nostalgia and the song still held its weight heavily. It was an emotional number to say the least and beautifully soulful with so much depth.

Closing with a cover of Bob Dylan’s Things Have Changed, the show ended on such a great high that I Wonder Why it has taken me this long to see Curtis Stigers live. In that moment, he was all that mattered to the crowd.