Ayra at Pizza Express Live, Holborn, London
Thursday 20th November 2025
(Part of EFG London Jazz Festival)
Review and photo by Dave Fuller, Music Spoken Here

Janette Mason – piano, keyboards, Juliet Roberts – vocals, Bex Gold – vocals, Lily Carassik – trumpet, flugelhorn, percussion, Yolanda Charles - bass Ayman Sinada - drums

The cold snap had set in Thursday but it didn’t deter those of us with a hot ticket for the first of two dates at Pizza Express Live in Holborn to see Ayra. The band came about through a collaboration between keyboardist, composer and arranger Janette Mason and vocalist and songwriter Juliet Roberts.

Mason is well known in both jazz and pop circles, having toured with acts including Oasis, Pulp and Seal in the nineties and recently released her fifth album ‘ReWired’ (reviewed by Ian Mann on this site https://www.thejazzmann.com/reviews/review/janette-mason-rewired) featuring rearrangements of songs from Gary Numan, David Bowie, Kate Bush and Noel Gallagher among others.

Her 2009 album ‘Alien Left Hand’ was nominated for the 2010 Parliamentary Jazz CD of the Year award and this year she was nominated for Jazz Instrumentalist of the Year.

Roberts, a long time friend of Mason, is probably best known for her vocals with Simon Booth and Larry Stabbins’ eighties soul-jazz band Working Week. The band also includes bassist Yolanda Charles who has also enjoyed a solid session career with top acts including Paul Weller, Robbie Williams and Squeeze.

Mason and Charles met when Mason was the Musical Director for the Jonathan Ross show. Roberts shares the vocals with neo-soul and R’n’B singer songwriter Bex Gold. I had seen Ayra perform in January at the same venue with Shanti Jayasinha on trumpet and Nicolas Py (one of several drummers to come through Yolanda Charles’ Project PH). The line-up tonight had Lily Carassik on trumpet and percussion, with Ayman Sinada on drums, both new to me.

The first set opened with “What Makes Me Happy”, with a keys and bass introducing Roberts’ distinctive voice, with Gold also featured and an electric piano solo from Mason.

“Wise Monkeys” had Mason switch to an acoustic piano sound on the Roland keyboard and Sinada losing the sticks for a shaker, with accentuating kicks of the bass drum. Lily got involved with a brief trumpet interlude, also adding tambourine and backing vocals throughout.

“Kaleidoscope of Dreams” was followed by a new piece that I didn’t catch the title of but started with a synth-bass intro on Mason’s analogue Oberheim OB-6. It developed into a soulful song featuring Bex’s vocals and some gorgeous harmon-muted trumpet from Carassik in unison with
Mason’s keys.

“Another Mother” was inspired by the co-leaders’ shared experience of a displaced childhood where someone else became the mother figure. Sinada set down a syncopated groove as Roberts spoke the verses and sung choruses with Gold. Carassik, had switched to the flugelhorn for a more mellow warmth alongside Charles’ solid groove, which was extended at the end to a delightful solo spending plenty of time up the dusty end of the neck before dropping down to the dirty lows.

“Dance With Me” brought hints of Luther Vandross’ ‘So Amazing’ and featured Carassik again on flugelhorn, ending with Roberts demonstrating the sheer awesomeness of her voice to the enthralled audience!

Mason introduced the next song as coming from the time when she was MD for The Hideaway in South London – “Spring Joy” was a silky-smooth soul groove that featured Gold’s vocals.

Roberts got the crowd clapping for the last song of the first set as Charles’ bass groove launched Mason into the gospel-soaked “You’re A Sinner”, with plenty of organ and a bridge featuring the OB6 and another solo from Carassik on trumpet. The energy on stage spread throughout the room and we all needed to take a breather after that!

After a well-deserved break, the band returned with a visit to Mason’s D’Ranged album with her arrangement of Cheryl Lynn’s disco/funk classic ‘Got To Be Real’, followed by Roberts’ 1994 club hit “Caught in the Middle” – “given the Ayra treatment” as announced by Mason. Stonking!

Mason manoeuvred the heavily occupied corner of the stage to take her seat at the venue’s Steinway grand piano for the first time for “Moving On” - a glorious duet with Roberts with Gold adding backing vocals to the chorus and the subsequent addition of subtle bass and some light mallet-bouncing on the cymbals from Charles and Sinada.

Roberts introduced “What’s in a Name” as “the jazz song”, with more beautiful duetting of her voice with Mason, still on the Steinway and a suitably sultry solo from Carassik on trumpet.

Things really came to a head with the signature song “Ayra”, where we were prepared by Mason to “really hear from the band”. Sinada kicked things off on the drums as Mason returned to the electronic keyboard. Roberts and Gold worked on the vocal motif “Ayra, Spiritual Warrior” and the band each had their spotlight moment.

The funky “Touch Me” kept the spirits up and a grand finale summed up the entire evening with “Incredible”. Indeed!

Ayra is a band formed by friends and exceptional artists whose connection and shared experience runs through their writing, arrangement and performance to deliver a brilliant, engaging and entertaining performance. It was no surprise to hear their second show on Friday night was sold out before this one. If you ever get the opportunity to see them, just do it!

DAVE FULLER

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