The last Tenby Jazz Lunch of the year at the Imperial Hotel was billed as Louis and Ella’s Christmas Show.

There were many classic jazz duos from the 50s and 60s heydays of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, as well as some warming carols and other Christmas fare.

Starting with I’ve Got My Love To Keep You Warm all the way to the final song, White Christmas, the audience was enthralled by Dave Cottle’s multi-instrumentalism, sometimes seemingly playing piano, trumpet and vocals all at the same time, the soft driving rhythms of Paul Smith on drums and Sarah Meek’s wide register and emboldened vocals, writes Chris Osborne.

Songs made famous by other performers, including Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Julie London and Peggy Lee, contributed to a rounded journey through the great swing era, featuring composers the like of George and Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter, Noel Coward and so many others.

But it was the renditions of traditional carols that really drew the audience’s admiration, especially some of Sarah’s bold, long-held notes. The audience left feeling teed up for Christmas but wondering if anyone else’s carols would climb to the same heights.

The Jazz Lunches take a January break, returning on Sunday, February 11 with the Coltrane Dedication.