‘Jools has got that left hand that never stops’, according to BB King. ‘I didn’t think anybody could play like that.’ But he can, and on Friday night this week at the BIC he did again. After months of touring with singers, roadies a ton of gear and a big band, you would understand if the man and his crew looked or sounded just a tad weary.

But not a bit of it. You feel as though you are part of a particularly good party – everyone is having fun. And the energy of the band had to be seen to be believed. If they felt remotely jaded, it certainly wasn’t showing.

The pace is whirlwind: number follows number, with boogie woogie, bebop, stride and blues as dominant rhythms. Featured singer Louise Marshall turned in a particularly fine rendition of ‘How Deep is the Ocean’ and perennial favourite Ruby Turner came on in the later stages of the show to wow the audience in her own unique way, a performance that evoked Mahalia Jackson and Ella Fitzgerald. Somehow a Jools Holland performance would not be the same without her.

One of the great things about Jools Holland is that he doesn’t treat his band as just a vehicle for his own talent, prodigious though it is. His musicians are allowed to shine as individuals – plenty of solo breaks and personal introductions by the man himself.

The evening closed with ‘All Right, OK, You Win’, followed by the usual ‘Enjoy Yourself, it’s Later Than You Think’, Jools Holland’s anthem and, one suspects, personal mantra.