IT was his dad who set him on the trail to becoming a musician.

Away from his tough guy image, Hollywood icon Clint Eastwood, who first rose to fame in that legendary TV western series Rawhide, is an accomplished jazz pianist.

And he passed his passion for jazz onto his eldest son, 43 year-old Kyle Eastwood who was making his third return visit to The Concorde with his smooth super jazz group.

Kyle and his multi-talented band headlined a special jazz night at the Stoneham Lane club before a four-night run at the legendary Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in London.

The band’s modern jazz style which blends swing, bop with soulful funk is an acquired taste.

But judging from the response from the appreciative audience there were no shortage of admirers.

Kyle switched effortlessly from double to electric bass and dipped into his much acclaimed songs from the Chateau album with Soul Captain and Tonic.

But it was Cosmo, a funk number, inspired by Herbie Hancock and Starsky and Hutch, which provided the spark for the two hourlong show.

Accompanied by Andrew McCormack on piano, Kyle held centre stage with a beautifully crafted solo of Letters from Iwo Jima.

The haunting melody provided the soundtrack for a Clint Eastwood movie telling the story of a battle between the United States and Japan in the Second World War.

The evening was rounded off with Café Calypso, a joint band composition. It included an electrifying piano solo and a storming performance from saxophonist Graeme Blevins.

As Kyle left the stage a lady in the audience asked him for a hug. And the modest musician who has his dad’s film star looks, obliged.

He was also kept busy signing autographs and posing for photographs. It brought a touch of Hollywood to a special jazz night.