Multi-instrumentalist Ayanna Witter-Johnson delivered a devastating peformance at Aberdeen's Lemon Tree
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AYANNA Witter-Johnson mixed lethal instrumental talent with remarkable taste and style at an Aberdeen show.
The virtuoso classical cellist, singer and pianist, who elevates her silky R&B tunes by layering them with top-quality instrumentation, held the Lemon Tree in a trance from start to finish last Sunday, May 22.
Witter-Johnson started the night with 2017 track Romeo, a love song built from words taken from Shakespeare.
Though, in concept, the song could be kitchsy and pretentious, the heights reached by the spontaneous and thrilling instrumentation leave the listener convinced.
Starting the song off with delicate and breathy bowed cello tones, Witter-Johnson efficiently built tension before using her crisp songbird voice to hit the refrain: "Are you ready for my love?".
Underneath, thick, brassy cello notes danced alongside a foot-pedal woodblock which struck a latin rhythm – and she was doing it all herself flawlessly.
The Lemon Tree was dressed up as a cosy jazz club for the night, with the audience peering out over red-clothed tables, set with candles.
Introducing her cello as Reuben and her woodblock as Cherry, Witter-Johnson shone with charisma and deftly brought the audience into her world.
The London cellist stopped the night multiple times to invite questions and comments from the crowd, which served the night well and stopped her obvious excellence becoming intimidating.
Setting out her strategy at the start, Witter-Johnson said: "Tonight is going to be a conversation, rather than a one-way street.
"I want you all to express yourself and ask questions."
Second track Crossroads, from 2020, hit the nerve of widespread Pandemic-era frustrations,
The track, following the exploits of a man battling a mid-life crisis, flaunts Witter-Johnson's percussive playing, summoning rich sounds by striking Reuben.
With these rhythms looped and set against the rich, trombone-like sounds from her cello, the singer-songwriter mixes jazz, blues, folk and R&B so that the joints are completely invisible
Despite being incredibly busy, Witter-Johnson stays relaxed, acting as a conduit which draws music from thin air, rather than mechanically playing it.
How she can avoid any compromising any part of her performance on any instrument, while playing so many at the same time, baffles.
Throughout the gig, Witter-Johnson was persistent with bringing the crowd along with her.
While engaging with her roots during her fourth song, Jamaican folk tune Hill an Gully Rider, she demanded audience participation.
The campfire call and response made for a great moment as the Aberdeen crowd gently chanted "hill and gully" in between verse lines.
A genuinely pleasant exchange of worlds, the audience seemed happy with their performance as the track came to a close.
Continuing the theme of engagement with her Jamaican heritage, the next track was a reworking of Declaration of Rights by roots reggae group The Abysinnians.
Launching into a lush solo cello interpretation of the song, Witter-Johnson was accompanied by a monologue about the importance of the song by British reggae and drum and bass vocalist Cleveland Watkins.
Witter-Johnson is a full throated virtuoso, with no interest in catering to the expectations of what a classical musician looks like, to her credit.
The highlight of the night was ninth song – a cover of the venerable Police tune Roxanne.
Producing an orchestra's worth of drama in a single cello, Witter-Johnson shifts effortlessly from bowing, to percussive playing and to plucking.
Using a crisp, gravelly overdrive to drive her voice into the audience's collective heart, she brought new life to the lyrics behind the classic song.
Closing the night with a cover of Ella Fitzgerald's Misty, before her own signature tune Sing on Nightingale, Witter-Johnson demolished the expectations of every person who turned up to hear her.
At the end of the night, after receiving her dozenth round of applause, Witter-Johnson said: "I've got a soft spot for Aberdeen now."
Being in the audience, one feels lucky, because you are seeing something that almost nobody else could replicate.
Aberdeen clearly has a soft spot for her now too.
