Earl Okin is a hoot!
A pom on the fringe of greatness, Okin has a neat line in understated patter to punctuate his music making. Glib, naughty and sometimes daft, this Londoner massages mediocrity in a way which not only makes it acceptable, but which makes it funny, very funny.
He also has the ability to make very good music, and does that with panache. And you get him on the cheap, he has in his musical storehouse a trumpet, cornet, Flugelhorn, Clarinet and Trombone, all done with his mouth, and he is so good, you would swear he uses electronic aids. Okin moves from blues to swing to Bossa Nova on Guitar and piano. His version of Ellington’s 1928 Black Beauty was brilliant!
The highlight was his hit Mango, a juicy number of implausible but very innuendos. His encore disco version brought the house done, and the applause was deserved.
Peter Kitchin