Gil Scott Heron @ Somerset House, London

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The supreme elegance of the outdoor courtyard of London's historic Somerset House proved the perfect venue for an artist with the assurd eloquence of the extremely influential, if not so universally well known, Gil Scott Heron.

Probably best remembered for seventies standards such as the Bottle and The Revolution Will not be televised, he is an artist who had gone off the radar, with only his back catalogue and frequent sampling by rap luminaries such as Kanye West, Dr Dre and Common keeping him in people's thoughts.

With well documented substance abuse problems which led to some famously erratic live performances and two spells in Federal Prison many thought his best days were long behind him, and that he would live on only in his role as one of the founding influences of conscious hip hop. However XL recordings head honcho and producer of bands such as The XX and Radiohead, Richard Russell, saw fit to offer him a recording contract whilst he was still serving time in Rikers Island Correctional Facility.

The Resulting album, I'm New Here, also produced by Russell, is widely heralded as on of the stand out albums of 2010 so far. It definitely brought him to the attention of a wider, younger, whiter demographic, which was clearly in evidence in the Somerset house crowd. As the frail looking 61 year old Heron took to the stage it was clear that many didn't know what to expect, based on previous reputation. Within five minutes of a monologue from him that was part confessional, part stand up routine it was clear that what was about to be witnessed was a special moment from a bona fide treasure who was back to somewhere near the peak of his powers.

The Music was also another affirmation of a man who has been through the mill and come out the other side a better and stronger person. Backed by an excellent 5 piece band, surprisingly short on rhythm section despite the very rhythmic nature of a lot of his work, he proceeded to make standards like Pieces of a Man and a particularly relevant Winter in America sound as if they were written with nowadays in mind.

Along the way there was still time for a few more conversation breaks and a bit of tongue in cheek education (the word jazz came from the New Orleans whorehouses he learnt to play music in, the fusion of Jism Music and Ass Music) after a few more numbers he took a break from the stage, and let the band do its thing, which it did with gusto, before returning to a rapturous rhythm heavy version of The Bottle, which sounded like a celebration of a man who has been given another shot at the best years of his life with an outlook to match. Many in the crowd felt that this ending was a fitting crescendo to a superb concert, but the encore proved to be the climax to a perfect evening, with an emotive, soulful and beautiful rendition of Better Days Ahead.

Verdict - A perfect end to a perfect summers evening in the company of a living legend and musical visionary. Respect.

Photo credits: Liberation Party