Clive Davis for The Times UK – One of the many virtues of the retro outfit led by the pianist Evan Palazzo and the singer Elizabeth Bougerol is that it reminds us that there was a time when jazz was a form of entertainment. That’s almost a subversive notion now that the music has acquired conservatory status.Moving up the cultural hierarchy has its drawbacks, though, so we should be grateful that the New Yorkers are helping to reconnect with the spirit of the speakeasy. They may not be the only band celebrating this kind of prewar material, but there are very few with such an astute grasp of showmanship.Like Pink Martini, the elegant band who have made lounge music hip again, the Sardines have built their own young audience. Their Roundhouse show — part of the In the Round season — started with a flourish and never once sagged, old favourites spiced with tracks from a new album, due out in April. The closing version of Caravan even managed to find a fresh path into the much-covered Tizol-Ellington standard.Palazzo and Bougerol may affect a casual demeanour — they chat and joke with each other as if playing in a neighbourhood bar — but the concert rattled along. In previous shows the tap dancing interludes have been a relatively sedate affair. The present dancer, AC Lincoln, is a much more flamboyant performer; his eyes shaded by the brim of his hat, he has a slightly humanoid, Max Headroom-style persona.The three-man horn section was raw and visceral. Even if the sound mix did Bougerol few favours, her understated vocals, with that bluesy, Peggy Lee edge to them, drew us close. Her ability to sing Comes Love and that Disney anthem I Wanna Be Like You in French was a cute touch too. Yes, a cartoon song at a jazz gig, but who cares, as long as it swings?
