A review of Dannielle Gaha's intimate Vanguard performance, spanning jazz, soul, funk and pop with Phil Burton and an exceptional Sydney trio.
There are singers with impressive voices, singers with formidable technique, and singers who know how to entertain. Then there are those rare performers who possess all three - and make it look effortless.
Dannielle Gaha is one of them.
Performing to a highly appreciative full house at The Vanguard on September 27th 2026, Gaha delivered a superb evening that traversed jazz, soul, funk, and pop while reminding audiences just how extraordinary and versatile her career has been.
And, of course, there was chocolate!
In what has become a much-loved Gaha trademark, the entire audience was treated to chocolate - an endearing gesture that perfectly encapsulated the warmth, generosity, and sense of fun she brings to the stage. This is an artist who doesn't simply sing at an audience; she welcomes them into her world.
That world is musically expansive. Gaha's career has taken her from Australian pop success and international recording to jazz, soul, and extensive work alongside some major names. Her 1989 duet with John Farnham, Communication, reached No. 13 on the Australian singles chart, and her long association with Farnham continued across many years of recording and performing together.
Now based in the United States, Gaha returned to Australia to appear as a featured artist in the recent The Songs Of John Farnham - The Celebration Concert, recognizing that longstanding musical relationship. Sydney audiences were consequently blessed with another opportunity to experience her live, with this intimate Vanguard performance a wonderful by-product of her return home.
(Dannielle performing at The Songs Of John Farnham - The Celebration Concert)
At The Vanguard, she was supported by a truly exceptional trio: musical director Bill Risby on keyboards, Jonathan Zwartz on bass, and Tim Firth on drums. These musicians are of the highest calibre, and together they provided Gaha with a beautifully responsive musical framework - refined when required, powerful when unleashed, and always impeccably tasteful.
The first set leaned towards jazz, drawing from You Don't Know Me, The Call, and her most recent album, The United Sessions, recorded with celebrated American pianist and organist Larry Goldings.
Opening with There's No Business Like Show Business, Gaha moved through material including High Dreams, Sequins on a Sunday Afternoon, A-Tisket, A-Tasket, The Call, No One Compares and the beautiful Stardust and Lullabies. High Dreams, co-written with David Batteau and Goldings, previously won the UK Songwriting Competition.
Throughout, Gaha demonstrated what makes her such a compelling vocalist. Her phrasing shows sophistication and an assured command of time, and nothing feels clinical. Her musicianship serves the song. She can be playful one moment, tender the next, then suddenly unleash the power and rhythmic authority required for funk and soul.
The second half shifted gears deliciously.
With lifelong friends and former singing students joining her on backing vocals, Gaha moved into soul, funk, and material recalling her 1990s recording career. Dove, Darlin' Please, Can We Just Start All Over, Counting My Blessings and Do It for Love progressively raised the temperature in the room.
Then came one of the evening's great crowd-pleasers.
Phil Burton from Human Nature, joined Gaha for Islands in the Stream, and the pairing proved irresistible. Familiar from its opening notes, the song generated an immediate response from the room, with Gaha and Burton clearly relishing the duet and the audience relishing it with them.
(Dannielle Gaha and Phil Burton - Isands In The Stream)
From there, the celebration continued through Mama I Wanna Thank You, I Want You Back, Crazy, and Round and Round, complete with instrumental solos that gave this superb band room to shine.
The encore, Carousel, brought Gaha together with Risby and provided a fitting conclusion to an evening that had travelled through decades, genres, and chapters of an extraordinary musical life.
What remains most striking is Gaha's ability to inhabit all of them authentically. Jazz singer. Soul singer. Funk singer. Pop singer. Songwriter. Entertainer. She is always a refreshing delight whether live or recording. Dannielle is one of my favourite singers and is also featured on my album, "The Art of Collaboration," where she layered some gorgeous vocal parts on the song, "Horses." I remember how happy I felt hearing what she sent from Los Angeles, and how perfect her sound was for the track. Another example of her exceptional versatility.
(Bill Risby - keyboards, Tim Firth - drums, Jonathan Zwartz - bass, Dannielle Gaha - vocals)
I was excited to see fellow musicians and singers Amanda Easton, Lady Cool, and Lachie Doley all appreciating Danni's talents at her show too.
Dannielle Gaha is, quite simply, a world-class vocalist - and at The Vanguard, surrounded by outstanding musicians and a full house clearly delighted to have her home, she was in magnificent form. Her ascending vocal riffs and runs are some of the best in the business!
Dannielle Gaha's music, including The United Sessions, The Call and You Don't Know Me, is available via Bandcamp and Apple Music.
Photos by: Peter Sintras
Review by: Simone Waddell