The River Bank Restaurant & Bar is better known for its fine dining than for its music. But this past fall the management designated every second Friday of the month as Jazz Night. So on Friday, December 8, after entrees of roasted duck, sesame encrusted tuna, and filet mignon in bourbon sauce were happily consumed, and after tables were cleared, Dan Gormley on a Gibson hollow body and Lee Marvin on upright bass warmed the audience with a couple of instrumentals. Before long, featured performer Nikki Armstrong took the stage and opened the first of two dynamic sets with a sparkling rendition of Billy Holiday's "All of Me." Over two hours later Armstrong closed the evening with a spirited take of "Bye Bye Blackbird," exiting the stage to rousing applause from the crowded main room.
Armstrong, who generally performs and records with a larger band, hit stride immediately with Gormley and Marvin. Comfortable from the outset, the trio took the audience on a journey through the American songbook with visits to a wide range of composers and performers, including Fats Waller, Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer, Willie Dixon, Elvis Presley, and Queen Latifah. Always energetic and adventurous, Armstrong riffed with Gormley and Marvin and gave her accompanists space for solos. Gormley played an especially steamy slide on "I Just Want to Make Love to You" and Marvin rumbled through "Take the A Train." The trio seemed to delight and surprise each other as much as they did the crowd.
Armstrong's wonderfully expressive vocals and her contagious enthusiasm were well suited to the intimate atmosphere of the River Bank. Nikki belted out "I'm a Woman," groaned and growled through "I Just Want to Make Love to You," turned sultrily playful on "It Ain't the Meat (It's the Motion)," pure bluesy on "Lover Man," buoyant on "Fly Me to the Moon," and absolutely soulful on "Mercy Mercy Mercy." Each set even featured a Christmas song: "Santa Baby" and "Blue Christmas." It seems as if highlight followed highlight in both sets.
Through years of performances, Armstrong has developed the confidence, craft, and versatility to play to the room she's in and the audience before her without compromising the integrity of the music or the musicians she leads. She can always be counted on for a solid evening of artful entertainment. Seeing her in one of her all too rare performances with the Nikki Armstrong Trio in the friendly environs of the River Bank Restaurant, with its truly outstanding cuisine, was a delightful holiday treat.