IT was quite the family affair. James Morrison brought along his two sons, bassist Harry (19 years old) and guitarist William (21), along with drummer Patrick Danao (the “normal” one in the group, according to James), to wow the audience packed into the sold-out Fitters’ Workshop. And wow them they did, right into a spontaneous, sustained, standing ovation at the end.

This was no ordinary concert, even though the whole world knows before they walk into the room that any performance involving James Morrison will be top-shelf jazz. What was extraordinary was the talent of the three young musicians on stage with the master.

Every tune was a masterpiece, but Harry’s stand-out was the last one, “The Real Blues”, by the father of the jazz bass, Ray Brown. Harry had shown all through the concert that his is a fresh, energetic and innovative approach to bass-playing and it all came together in a stunning performance in this piece.

William shone throughout, too, but his stand-out was his solo in “Autumn Leaves” with improvs so imaginative they even wowed his father, perhaps inspired so because James started it off in the style of the improv master of them all, JS Bach.

Patrick Danao is no slouch, either; his virtuosic drumming was right up there. His attentive playing, fitting in with just the right stylings for every nuance of every piece was remarkable enough. But when let loose on solos, he put every piece of equipment to work in the most tasteful but exciting music-making.

James, of course, was brilliant at every turn. Being the unequalled exponent of the trumpet, he pulled out every possible sound, styling and pitch possible – and then some. But  he also played the trombone, producing some smooth, sensuous, tones in a soft, gentle tune.

Like his fellow musicians, he had one stand-out – playing the piano in the style of Erroll Garner.

James spent quite some time explaining how he listened to Garner’s vinyl recordings to try to work out his playing style and then showing the audience how the style works. And then, off he went, in a truly outstanding performance of “Just the Way You Look Tonight”, producing every Garner styling with amazing authenticity.

James Morrison is only in his mid-50s so he has many years left in his career to continue to wow the world’s audiences. And it seems his boys will continue the tradition. The future of jazz is assured.