Worthing, in the past few weeks, has played host to two big band concerts whose musicians have provided high-powered jazz. In contrast, renowned singer Stacey Kent and her quartet lowered the volume, slowed the pace and provided an evening of soft, after-midnight music.

Kent’s repertoire reflected the influences of her heroes and the works of favourite songwriters – Antônia Carlos Jobim, Serge Gainsbourg, and the author Kazuo Ishiguro, whose lyrics were set to music by Kent’s husband, Jim Tomlinson. Sprinkled among these were numbers from the Great American Songbook – the best being a slow, dreamy version of They Can’t Take That Away From Me.

Three particularly fine numbers were Ishiguro’s The Ice House, Postcard Lovers and the lilting ballad of lost love, So Romantic.

Many of the songs chosen were taken from Kent’s latest CD, Dreamer In Concert, her first live album, which was recorded in Paris last May.

Her musicians included husband Jim Tomlinson on tenor and alto saxophone. They provided perfect accompaniment – always complementing her voice and never dominating it. They had a chance to shine in a lively instrumental version of a Sinatra hit – This Is All I Ask.

Many of the items were full of poetic images while others contained a strong Latin flavour – Corcovado, So Nice and a samba sung in French. For an encore the audience were sent home to their beds with a lullaby – an exquisite version of Hushabye Mountain.

A small quibble would be Miss Kent’s occasional lack of clarity in song introductions.