The Band: Bill Ashton

The Music: Fifty Thousand Flies Can’t Be Wrong (Steve Titchener) : Miss Pankhurst Protests (Alan Hare) : La Muchacha De Colombia (Martin Williams) : Our Love Is Here To Stay (George Gershwin) : No Moon At All (v) (Evans & Manne, arr. Dave Foster): You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To (v) (Cole Porter, arr. Mike Townend) : Rosie (Anthony Adams) : Indiana (James Hanley, arr. John Dankworth) : Ma (He’s Making Eyes At Me) (Sidney Clare/Con Conrad, arr. Gareth Lockrane) : Ballad For Saturday (Evan Jolly) : One For Oscar (Andy Vinter): Abbey Gale (Evan Jolly) : As Close As You Are (Tubby Hayes) : Rose Room (v) (music by Art Hickman, lyrics by Bill Ashton, arr. Evan Jolly) : Too Close For Comfort Now (v) (Jerry Bock/Larry Holofcener/George Weiss, arr. Tommy Laurence)

The Gig: A somewhat different NYJO line-up for this month’s outing at The Manor, with an all new sax section, guitarist and percussionists – although some of the new faces have appeared here before with NYJO2…

 This afternoon’s concert was a bit of a trawl through the NYJO back catalogue, starting with a 1992 Steve Titchener composition whose title refers to a typically wry Ronnie Scott comment about the standard of the cuisine at his eponymous club… Fifty Thousand Flies Can’t Be Wrong featured solos by Jack Coward, Luis Mather and Chris Eldred, and had some nice sax section writing into the bargain – there’s nothing like throwing the new chaps in at the deep end!

Alan Hare’s Miss Pankhurst Protests, based on the chords of the Johnny Mandel tune Emily, refers to the suffragette Miss Emmeline Pankhurst, who was often referred to as Emily and didn’t like it much. It was a front mic feature for Alex Paxton (left) and also incorporated some delightful muted section playing from the trumpets and trombones, with some nice guitar support from Rob Luft.

La Muchacha…. is Martin Williams’ unforgettable legacy to NYJO, whose ranks he graced for quite some time. It’s always an audience favourite and the first notes from the bass trombone identify it immediately – thanks this time to Barry Clements! Nadim Teemoori and Reuben Fowler (appearing at The Manor for the second week in a row) duetted and played solos. Then the spotlight was on Rob’s guitar before Scott Chapman and Simon Whittaker proceeded to hit everything in reach of their sticks and mallets prior to the coda.

Subsequently, both the tempo and decibel count were reduced for part-time shepherd Michael Lack’s front mic tenor feature – Our Love Is Here To Stay – played before his extended family flock: a piano/tenor duet intro led into the theme before the backing band joined in and the number culminated in a diminuendo fade – lovely!

Emma Smith being sidelined with laryngitis, Kwabena Adjepong was the sole vocalist this month. He gave us a fine rendition of No Moon At All, which was arranged by Dave Foster in 2002 as one of a number of songs written in 1952 that were added to the band’s library to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Queen’s reign. It started with Kwabena accompanied by just Sandy Suchodolski’s bass guitar before Luis played the solo; the piece finished quietly with just piano and guitar. Kwabena followed up with another standard, Cole Porter’s You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To, in an arrangement by Mike Townend that featured a well-wrought alto solo by Nadim.

For a while now Bill Ashton has been trying to make contact with the composer of the next number and, after much searching, Ian Fielding managed to track him down. Thus it was that Anthony Adams was present in the audience to hear one of his early compositions, dedicated to his then young (but now grown up) daughter Rosie. It was a guitar feature for Rob, backed by some intricate muted trombone writing, and Anthony was suitably moved…

The first set ended with a tribute to the former Vice President of NYJO, Sir John Dankworth, which featured his own arrangement of that old standard – based on the chords of Donna Lee – Indiana. Taken at a superfast clip, this was another alto showcase for Nadim – excellent stuff!

The second set started with ex-NYJO flautist Gareth Lockrane’s fast-paced arrangement of that old warhorse Ma, which was attacked wholeheartedly by the band from bar 1. Not surprisingly there was a lot of flute featured and Helen Wilson (right) played a blinder! Alex also gave us a classy solo and the whole thing was wrapped up with some nice drum interjections from Scott.

This was followed by Evan Jolly’s Ballad For Saturday, so named because Bill had once asked Evan to write something for a  NYJO  rehearsal  along  the  lines  of:  “…could you write me a ballad for Saturday”.  Whatever the provenance of the title, it was a lovely vehicle for some mellifluous flugel playing from Reuben.

At this point Bill felt Chris (left) needed a feature, so Andy Vinter’s One For Oscar, written as a tribute to the late Oscar Peterson, was excavated from the pad – and it’s the perfect piece to demonstrate Chris’s remarkable keyboard technique. An ensemble start to Evan Jolly’s Latin-tinged Abbey Gale, with trumpets well to the fore, led into an extended flute solo for Helen. Reuben followed with a fine trumpet solo before lots of duetting drums and percussion brought proceedings to a close.

As Close As You Are is from the pen of the late Tubby Hayes, written for the Centre 42 Big Band some forty years ago. It started with some subtly-written sax section stuff over muted trumpets and trombones before Luis, Jack and Sandy supplied the solos.

Keeping with the old tunes, Kwabena’s penultimate vocal on possibly one of the oldest number in the pad gave us a glimpse of Art Hickman’s Rose Room which, based on the chords of In A Mellotone and with new words by Bill and in a lovely arrangement by Evan Jolly, also featured a tricky sax section soli passage.

Finally, Tommy Laurence’s insistently swinging arrangement of the classic standard Too Close For Comfort, which offered Luis the opportunity for a wonderful tenor solo and gave Kwabena an eagerly-grasped showcase for his maturing vocal talent, provided the rip-roaring climax to a wonderful afternoon of big band magic.

Review: Steve Harris/Ian Fielding : Photos: Alan Tagg/Bill Ashton

The recent problems faced by NYJO with funding have been well publicised.  With this new CD, we hear one good reason why it is worth ensuring that NYJO survives.  Sarah Ellen Hughes (right) was a notable member of NYJO for seven years, as vocalist and flautist, from 2001-2008.  I would venture to suggest that the benefit of being with such a fine band is here to see.  Would she have had the confidence and technical skill had she not had such a fine apprenticeship?  Maybe, but the evident skill and maturity in the work of one so young are rare indeed.

Sarah Ellen’s own backing group is normally piano, bass and drums.  On several tracks on this CD it is augmented by the addition of Dave O’Higgins, Jim Hart and the voice of Ian Shaw.  That Sarah Ellen is a musician first and vocalist second is very evident.  She understands the dynamics of improvisation and has a sympathetic ear (when singing) for the direction the instrumentalists take.  Her talents also extend to composition.  Two tracks written by her, the blues, Some People, and Workin’ Hard, a more funky number containing the line I never thought I’d hear, ‘It’s Tesco value all the way’!  The fifth track, Darning the Dream, uses a vocalise variation, by Sarah Ellen, based very obviously on Darn That Dream.  Indeed, the track ends as she reverts to the original.  The set concludes with a beautiful rendition of a hymn, Oh Love That Will Not Let Me Go, which was the favourite of Sarah Ellen’s mother.  For the purpose of the CD, Sarah has called it A Hymn For Janet (which I assume was her mother’s name.)  The choice of songs is wide-ranging.  The standards are there alongside her own work, and her approach is both conventional (when the song demands it) and entirely adventurous on other numbers.  Take, for example, the duets with Ian Shaw, where the harmonising demands, and gets, real skill.

Sarah Ellen Hughes is a real force as a jazz vocalist.  Since leaving NYJO, she is setting out on a certain path to become one of our top jazz vocalists.  The confidence, maturity, and sheer class, is astonishing in one so young.  The release of the CD coincides with a tour by her of the UK.  However, by the time this review is published (the July edition), the tour will have concluded.  Nevertheless, I would recommend that you keep your eye open for Sarah Ellen if she performs near you.  It should be worth a listen.  Her website is www.sarahellenhughes.co.uk

This is a notable recording of a fine musician with a great future.

The Band:

The Music: Caravan (Juan Tizol) : It Don’t Mean A Thing… (Duke Ellington) : You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To (Cole Porter) : [Small Group: Four# (Miles Davis) : Bernie’s Tune# (Bernie Miller/Gerry Mulligan) : Girl From Ipanema^ (Antonio Carlos Jobim)] : St Thomas* (Sonny Rollins) : Night Train*(Jimmy Forrest, arr. Gordon Goodwin) : On Green Dolphin Street (Bronislau Kaper) : New York State Of Mind* (Billy Joel) : Boplicity (Miles Davis) : MacArthur Park (Jimmy Webb, arr. Adrian Drover/Maynard Ferguson) : Moten Swing (Bennie Moten) : Manteca* (Dizzy Gillespie) : Four (Miles Davis) : Have You Seen Them Cakes? (Josh Daniels) : Blue Rondo A La Turk (Dave Brubeck). [Numbers marked; * were conducted by Mark Horton; # were played by the Ashley Hunt Trio; ^ were played by the Tom Gardner Sextet]

The Gig: This Father’s Day session was originally scheduled as a NYJO concert, but an invitation for the main band to play a major festival gig in London gave the NYJO2 youngsters a chance to strut their stuff at The Manor instead.

The day before this concert some of the band had been privileged to attend a jazz workshop at The Barbican by Winton Marsalis’s Lincoln Centre Jazz Orchestra although, according to Paul Eshelby, all that they learnt was to tap their heels (rather than toes) to feel the ‘groove’ and, when soloing, to ‘play to the stars’!

The fortuitous by-product of attending the workshop was that the band had at least three numbers (the ones played at The Barbican) to start the concert with – the man entrusted with bringing their main music along (one M**k H****n) had apparently overslept…

Thus it was that the gratifyingly large crowd that had gathered at The Manor, many of whom were seeing NYJO2 for the first time, were treated to an initial selection of Ellington arrangements – Caravan, It Don’t Mean A Thing… and You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To – which set the mood nicely…

In the continuing absence of music for the full band, trumpeters Ashley Hunt and Tom Gardner, with their respective small groups, stepped up to weave some magic with Miles Davis’ Four, Gerry Mulligan’s Bernie’s Tune and Jobim’s slinky Girl From Ipanema – delightful!

Then Mark Horton (left) arrived and was immediately put in charge of conducting the band through a range of numbers as different as Sonny Rollins’ St Thomas, Jimmy Forrest’s classic Night Train, Billy Joel’s evocative New York State Of Mind and Miles Davis’ Boplicity – a quite eclectic mix, which the band negotiated superbly.

In amongst that lot Paul led the band through a couple of takes of On Green Dolphin Street, a trumpet feature for Tom (whose Dad Simon was in the audience) in which he was encouraged to remember to ‘play to the stars’!

The second set contained another interesting and varied selection of numbers, from Maynard Ferguson’s version of Jimmy Webb’s iconic MacArthur Park, Bennie Moten’s signature piece Moten Swing, Dizzy Gillespie’s renowned Manteca, a full big band arrangement of Miles Davis’ Four, a number from the NYJO back-catalogue by alumnus Josh Daniels, Have You Seen Them Cakes? and Blue Ronda A La Turk by Dave Brubeck – not a normal composer choice for bands at The Manor, but an indication that this band are not afraid to tackle anything, no matter how difficult.

All told, this was a lovely concert: the band acquitted itself with real distinction and the surprisingly original music programme was enjoyed enormously by a sizeable and appreciative audience – nice one, NYJO2!

Review: Steve Harris/Ian Fielding : Photos: Alan Tagg

The Band:

The Music: Fleet (Mark Nightingale): Putney Vale (Tom Stone arr. Callum Au) : Abbey Gale (Evan Jolly) : Along Came Benny (Steve Duro) : Chicago (v) (Fred Fisher, arr. Evan Jolly) :  It’s So Easy (v) (Mike Sammes/Bill Owen, arr. Alan Hare) : A Nightingale Swang…  (Maschwitz & Sherwin, arr. Mark Armstrong) : That Old Black Magic (v) (Harold Arlen/Johnny Mercer, arr. Billy May) : A Step Too Far (v) (Bill Ashton, arr. Callum Au) : Slow Boat To China (Frank Loesser, arr. Martin Williams) : Sir Johnny Comes Marching Home (Trad, arr. Evan Jolly) : Polka Dots And Moonbeams (Johnny Burke/Jimmy Van Heusen) : Summer Sundays (v) (Steve Gray/Christine Denmead, arr. Tommy Laurence) : Angel Eyes (v) (Matt Dennis & Earl Brent, arr. Callum Au) : Bustance (Callum Au) : One For Oscar (Andy Vintner) : Too Close For Comfort Now (v) (Bock/Holofcener/Weiss, arr Tommy Laurence) : Rockin’ Chair (v) (Hoagy Carmichael, arr. Evan Jolly) : Indiana (James Hanley, arr. John Dankworth).

The Gig: An enforced early start to proceedings this month didn’t seem to deter the audience from turning up in their usual numbers to hear NYJO playing at the top of its considerable form – in fact a number of people commented afterwards that they couldn’t remember hearing the band sound better…

The first set kicked off with alumnus Mark Nightingale’s contribution to an abortive NYJO album project intended to celebrate motorway service stations! Fleet was, as its title implies, a tremendously fast minor 24-bar blues – Jeff Brown and Lucas Dodd took the solo honours.

The absent Tom Stone’s Putney Vale, arranged by the present Callum Au, was – this week – a tenor ballad feature for Will Gibson. The trombone section introduced the number, and Jon Russell (right) had a solo towards the end.

An ensemble start to Evan Jolly’s Latin-tinged Abbey Gale, with trumpets well to the fore, led into an extended guitar solo for Jon. Rob Greenwood (well on course to be The Manor’s most frequently appearing musician in 2010) followed with a fine trumpet solo before lots of duetting drums and percussion from Dave Elliott and BBC Young Musician of the Year Percussion Category finalist James Larter brought proceedings to a close.

Along Came Benny, Steve Duro’s homage to Benny Golson, is a classic piece of big band swing. Jack Coward, Simon Marsh and Lucas all had solos, before a sax section soli and Sandy Sucholdolski’s bass interlude concluded the number.

Kwabena Adjepong, apparently soon to be featured in a TV documentary, took the first vocal spot. Evan Jolly’s guitar ‘n’ vibes opening motif for that old warhorse Chicago introduced us to Kwabena’s assured take on this standard – relaxed and taking nicely-judged liberties with the lyrics, he made it his own, whilst Will had a wailing tenor solo part way through. It’s So Easy, part-composed by Bill Owen (Compo from Last Of The Summer Wine), was another medium-paced swinger that suited Kwabena’s style down to the ground – Jeff’s complementary solo added the icing to the cake…

Arranger Rob McConnell’s death had been reported earlier in the week and, although NYJO has none of his arrangements in its repertoire, Bill Ashton felt it appropriate to mark the occasion with Mark Armstrong’s A Nightingale Swang… because it features contrapuntal section playing which, apparently, was a signature feature of many of McConnell’s charts. The sax section provided the intro, eventually being joined by the initially muted, then open, trombones. Muted, then open, trumpets entered the mix before Callum and Olli Nezahti (right) provided the solos. The brass then did their contrapuntal stuff before the big ensemble finish, leavened by Dave’s drums.

Bill’s baby granddaughter Ella was in the audience today, so Emma Smith’s first vocal gave us a touch of That Old Black Magic, a song long associated with that other Ella, Fitzgerald (see what Bill did there?). The arrangement was one Billy May wrote for Ella F, and Emma S (right) did more than justice to it – Will contributed a super solo.

The first set finished with one of Bill’s songs, A Step Too Far, which the exuberant Emma took by the scuff of the neck – Lucas provided a lovely alto counterpoint.

Set two set sail with a number from the NYJO back catalogue that we haven’t heard in ages – Martin Williams’ trumpet duet arrangement of Slow Boat To China. Rob and Tom Walsh (left, recently the inaugural recipient of the Humphrey Lyttleton Royal Academy of Music Jazz Award) took on the solo and duetting responsibilities.

Sir Johnny Comes Swinging Home is Evan Jolly’s interpretation of the traditional American Civil War tune, written to commemorate NYJO’s late Vice-President Sir John Dankworth’s knighthood honour. It was taken at a fast clip and featured solos by Lucas and Dave, the latter with guitar interjections from Jon.

Polka Dots And Moonbeams is fast becoming a regular instrumental ballad feature for Callum at The Manor – Bill loves the tune, hates the words; in a change to the usual keyboard opening, Jon provided a delightful guitar introduction.

Emma (right) returned with a couple of markedly different songs that demonstrated her extensive range perfectly – Summer Sundays is Christine Denmead’s light and wistful evocation of English summer weekends (cricket, warm beer, butterflies, lawnmowers – that kind of thing), introduced by a delightful a capella guitar and vocal duet, whilst Angel Eyes was all scat vocals over a heavy rock beat: Olli’s tenor solo fitted the mood perfectly. Great stuff!

One of Callum’s original scores – Bustance – followed. It was a feature for  Barry Clements’  brilliant  bass trombone playing but Callum did find space for a sax section soli and (for this concert, at least) a rare piano solo from Chris Eldred. Because he hadn’t had much to do up to this point, Bill felt Chris needed a feature so Andy Vintner’s One For Oscar, written as a tribute to the late Oscar Peterson, was resurrected from the pad – and it’s the perfect piece to demonstrate Chris’s remarkable keyboard technique.

We were then treated to a brace of songs from Kwabena: Tommy Laurence’s insistently swinging arrangement of Too Close For Comfort, which featured a wonderful solo from Will, gave Kwabena a readily-grasped opportunity to stretch out on a classic standard, whilst Evan Jolly’s fine arrangement of Hoagy Carmichael’s ballad Rockin’ Chair, in which the elegiac vocal was highlighted by some lovely guitar playing by Jon over muted trumpets and flugelhorns, had Rob contributing a fine flugel solo.

With only minutes remaining before this week’s early curfew, Bill decided to end the concert with another tribute to Sir John – this one Dankworth’s own arrangement of Indiana. Taken at an indecently fast tempo, it featured a baritone solo from Ben Mallinder and provided a rip-roaring finale to an afternoon of big band magic.

Review: Steve Harris/Ian Fielding : Photos: Bill Ashton/Alan Tagg

The Music: Going Dutch (Chris Smith) : Polka Dots And Moonbeams (Johnny Burke/Jimmy Van Heusen) : La Muchacha Do Colombia (Martin Williams) : In A Daze (Matt O’Regan) : I Wasn’t Looking For Love (v) (Ashton/Denmead, arr. John Clarke) : The Girl You Almost Love (v) (Ed Randall, arr. Callum Au) : Barker Is Willing (Callum Au) : Neale’s Yard (Martin Williams) : A Foggy Day… (George Gershwin, arr. Steve Titchener) : Putney Vale (Tom Stone arr. Callum Au) : Lisson Groove (Evan Jolly) : Sidewalks Of New York (Charles B Lawlor, arr. Gareth Lockrane) : I Was Hoping (v) (Bill Ashton, arr. John Clarke) : As Long As There Are Summers (v) (John Gummer/Bruce Baxter, arr. Paul Hart) : Let The Good Times Roll (v*) (BB King)

The Gig: A warm, sunny day saw the band making their monthly appearance here with a familiar line-up, apart from trumpeters Nick Walters, Matt Roberts, Jacob Phillips and flautist Katie Hayes who were all making their Manor debuts.

The concert featured the usual musical mix of ‘standards’, compositions/arrangements by some of NYJO’s illustrious alumni, numbers written by current band members, Bill Ashton songs and, today, a couple of other song-writers’ efforts. There was also a bit of rock ‘n’ roll thrown in for good measure!

Polka Dots And Moonbeams has, in Bill’s opinion, one of the best tunes and some of the worst words of any ‘standard’, which is why this performance was a purely instrumental feature for Callum Au (left); Chris Eldred provided the delightful piano intro.

Gershwin’s A Foggy Day… is, in Steve Titchener’s arrangement, a much less gloomy prospect. After the ensemble intro and a tricky sax-section soli, debutant Nick gave us a storming trumpet solo; Tom Stone was the other soloist.

Sidewalks Of New York, sometimes known as East Side, West Side, is one of the oldest numbers in the NYJO pad: Charles Lawlor originally wrote it back in the 1800’s. Special guest Rob Barron provided the extended piano introduction, whilst Gareth Lockrane’s arrangement heavily featured the sax section and gave Olli Nezhati both solo and coda honours.

Ex-NYJO trumpet player Chris Smith’s Going Dutch, written for a tour of the Netherlands sometime in the 1980’s, is a tune featuring, and equally shared (see what he did there?) between, the two tenors. Tom and Ben Mallinder successfully took on the task, alternately duetting and trading fours for the duration; Scott Chapman sneaked a drum solo in towards the end.

BBC Big Band saxophonist Martin Williams, a one-time resident of the NYJO tenor chair, contributed two numbers to the programme: La Muchacha Do Colombia is a fast little Latin number which, after Barry Clements’ opening bass trombone salvo, gave Tom, Callum and Laura Jurd (flugel) ample opportunity to strut their stuff. Scott and James Larter provided a fascinating drums ‘n’ percussion interlude near the end.

Martin’s second, Neale’s Yard, was a fast-paced piece he wrote for ex-NYJO flautist Alison Neale. Last month at The Manor this was performed as a flute duet. This time around it was a feature for James on vibes (right), initially duetting with Jon Russell’s guitar, then giving us a virtuoso solo and finally performing in a threesome with Jon and Chris – cracking stuff!

Matt O’Regan, a former NYJO pianist, wrote In A Daze on the chords of Days Of Wine And Roses. It was a front-mic feature for Laura on flugelhorn (left), although along the way the sax section had another soli and Chris also squeezed in a solo.

Trumpeter Evan Jolly provided the final alumni offering, the jazz/funk Lisson Groove being primarily a feature for the trombone section. Callum and Alex Plaxton took the solo honours and Scott managed to fit in a little drum break in the closing stages.

Callum and Tom were the two current band members whose numbers were included in this concert. Barker Is Willing saw Lucas Dodd (left) take on Callum’s tribute to former altoist Ed Barker and try and make the tune his own. The introduction was by the whole band, with a duetting piano and guitar prominent in the mix; Jon and Lucas then duetted to great effect before Lucas broke free, his solo underscored with hand-clapping by the rest of the band.

Putney Vale is a tenor ballad feature, which Tom bequeathed to Ben whom we’ve only previously seen on baritone. The trombone section introduced the number, and Jon had a solo towards the end.

During the afternoon Neomi Nuti (right), who made her debut here last month, sang four numbers. A couple, I Wasn’t Looking For Love and I Was Hoping, were written by Bill and arranged by John Clarke; in the first Tom had a solo and in the second Rob Greenwood, Olli and Chris all had a knock.

Of the other two songs, one, The Girl You Almost Love, was a ballad written by Ed Randall, a college colleague of arranger Callum whilst the other, As Long As There Are Summers, was a ballad arranged by Paul Hart: Lucas soloed on the former and Tom and Lucas had solos during the latter.

The concert finished on a determinably up-tempo note, with a rousing vocal rendition of B. B. King’s Let The Good Times Roll by sound engineer Barry Venn. Everyone entered into the good-time spirit of the thing, with some superb ensemble playing: Callum provided a roaring trombone solo, Tom a convincing slice of rock ‘n’ roll sax, Jon a blistering guitar contribution and Matt some stunning trumpet before Barry took it to the big finish.

It was an uplifting end to a great afternoon of music – thanks NYJO!

Review: Steve Harris/Ian Fielding : Photos: Bill Ashton

The Band:

The Music: A Foggy Day (Gershwin, arr. Steve Titchener) : They Can’t Take That Away From Me (Gershwin, arr. John Dankworth) : Abbey Gale (Evan Jolly) : Flinders And Trim  (Callum Au) : You’d Think I’d Learn (v) (Bill Ashton, arr. Josh Daniels) : The Girl You Almost Love (v) (Ed Randall, arr. Callum Au) : Bustance (Callum Au) : Finding My Feet (v) (Bill Ashton, arr.Will Bartlett) : Looking Back (v) (Derek Goome, arr. Mark Nightingale) : The Kids From Red House (Bill Ashton, arr. Gareth Lockrane) : Never The Twain (Matt Wates) : Are We Nearly There Yet? (Callum Au) : Over And Over Again (v) (Dick Walter) : Getting Used To You (v) (Bill Ashton arr. Evan Jolly) : Lisson Groove (Evan Jolly) : Neale’s Yard (Martin Williams) : It’s Good To Walk (Dave Foster) : I Was Hoping (v) (Bill Ashton) : Don’t Go To Her (v) (Bill Ashton) [Vocal numbers marked (v)]

The Gig: There were three new faces in the band today: singer Noemi Nuti, trombonist Zebedy Tomkins and keyboardist Andy Highmore – it was a very mild spring day too!

Steve Titchener’s bright and breezy arrangement of Gershwin’s A Foggy Day In London Town got the concert started. The saxophone section set it going with the statement of the theme and we heard solos from Laura Jurd and Tom Stone. This was followed by another great standard, Gershwin’s They Can’t Take That Away From Me, arranged by the late Sir John Dankworth. It was a very slow arrangement, which started with a theme statement from the full ensemble and a solo from Tom Stone (left) on the middle eight of the first chorus. Andy contributed a solo before the saxophone section brought it to a graceful conclusion.

The full ensemble started Evan Jolly’s Abbey Gale, with both flutes well to the fore. Lots of high notes from the trumpets followed and then there were two superb flute solos from David Ruff and Helen Wilson. Jeff Brown followed on with a fine flugelhorn solo and then there was lots of drums and percussion from Scott Chapman and Dave Elliott.

Scott’s brushwork set Callum Au’s Flinders And Trim in motion at a brisk pace. It’s a relatively quiet piece with a very attractive tune: the solos came from Lucas Dodd and Alex Plaxton and there was a drum break from Scott to end it.

You’d Think I’d Learn was the first vocal of the afternoon and it was sung delightfully by the band’s latest recruit Noemi Nuti. She sang the verse with just Andy’s piano accompaniment before the tempo changed up a gear or so for the chorus and we heard a solo from Lucas. Noemi followed up with ‘a world premiere’. The Girl You Almost Love is a product of Oxford University: lyricist Ed Randall and composer Callum Au are – or were – fellow students there. There was a slow, languorous opening which suited the subject perfectly. There was a lot of trombone playing, as you would expect from one of Callum’s scores and, once again, Lucas played an alto solo.

Another of Callum’s scores – Bustance – followed. It was a feature for Barry Clements’ brilliant bass trombone playing but Callum did find space for solos from Alex and Sandy Suchodolski. Next, it was Emma Smith‘s turn at the vocal mike with Finding My Feet. There was a noisy opening eight bars before Emma started and she was helped out with a couple of solos from Ollie Nezahti and Mark Perry. Looking Back started very slowly, with the full ensemble, then there was change of pace to a more vigorous tempo when the saxophones were featured; it reverted to the slow tempo for Emma’s vocal.

Bill Ashton‘s early school days (with perhaps also a nod to Count Basie) were the inspiration for The Kids From Red House. Remarkably, this was the name of both of the schools attended by Bill and his wife Kay: one of them was on the west coast – Blackpool – and the other on the east coast – Middlesbrough. The tune was played today because it’s a feature for two flautists and, with David (far left) and Helen (near left), we had two very fine specimens of the breed in the band. It’s a fast, cheerful tune and the arrangement gave us every chance to admire two very different approaches to flute playing.

The second half started with a request for Matt Wates’ fast and furious Never The Twain. It was a feature for the two alto players – Ollie and Lucas. Very enjoyable! Another of Callum’s compositions followed, the lyrical Are We Nearly There Yet? After the gentle piano introduction we heard a lot from the superb saxophone section and a couple of solos from Jon Russell and Ollie. Then it was time for two more songs from Emma (left): Dick Walter’s Over And Over Again and Bill Ashton’s Getting Used To You. On the first one Emma’s super singing was accompanied by the rhythm section and the saxophones and on the second there was a gentle guitar intro and a couple of solos from David and Ollie.

Then we had a request from Rob Greenwood: he wanted to hear the trombones, so they played Lisson Groove – music by Evan Jolly, title by Freddie Gavita. There was a whole chorus from the section and then Alex played the trombone solo. There was a prolonged section for the percussionists before it came to an end. The presence of the two flautists prompted the performance of something else which the band hadn’t played for a very long time, Martin Williams’ Neale’s Yard, which he wrote for ex-NYJO flautist Alison Neale many years ago. There was a bright noisy opening at medium tempo by the whole band before we heard the flutes duetting and then soloing. There was an interlude for the drums and percussion before the duetting flautists ended it.

David Foster’s It’s Good To Walk, another one the band hasn’t played in a long time, is played at a medium tempo with plenty of volume. There was a duet from Alex and Tom Stone then the rest of the saxophones joined in while the trumpeters clapped on the off-beat. Alex, Tom Stone and Sandy then each had solos and it ended with Alex and Tom Stone duetting.

I Was Hoping was Noemi’s final song, helped along by solos from Tom Walsh and Ollie. The concert ended with Emma singing Don’t Go To Her at a frantic pace and with lots of “scatting”, ably assisted by Bill and helped out with a solo from Tom Stone – a suitably upbeat ending for a tremendous concert.

Review: Ted Gascoigne : Photos: Bill Ashton

The Band: Bill Ashton

The Music: U-Turn (Steve Titchener) : Dear John (Dick Walter) : Easy To Love (Cole Porter, arr. Callum Au) : Let’s Settle Down (v) (Bill Ashton, arr. Evan Jolly) : You Were Marvellous Darling (v) (Bill Ashton, arr. Tommy Laurence) : Cannon Fodder (Allan Ganley) : Chicago (v) (Fred Fisher, arr. Evan Jolly) :  Rockin’ Chair (v) (Hoagy Carmichael, arr. Evan Jolly) : Indiana (James Hanley, arr. John Dankworth) : Resurrection (Henry Armburg-Jennings) : Almost There (Anthony Adams) : La Muchacha De Colombia (Martin Williams) : Georgia On My Mind (v) (Hoagy Carmichael, arr. Evan Jolly) : Rose Room (v) (Bill Ashton, arr. Evan Jolly) : Lisson Groove (Evan Jolly) : My Funny Valentine (v) (Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart, arr. Mark Nightingale) : Much Too Much (v) (Bill Ashton arr. Chris Smith).  [Vocal numbers marked (v)]

The Gig: This concert was a vintage performance by NYJO, playing at the top of its considerable form. A sparkling mixture of standards, numbers written by current and ex-band members, a handful of Bill Ashton’s classy songs and a couple of tributes to Sir John Dankworth – whose recent death brought to a close his 43-year tenure as NYJO’s Vice-President – made for a nicely balanced programme. And the surprise one-off return of singer Sarah Ellen Hughes just put the icing on the cake!

Steve Titchener’s fast big band swinger U-Turn is an ideal opening number – after Chris Eldred’s (left) extended piano intro, Will Gibson and Jeff Brown grabbed their meaty solo opportunities with both hands. Dear John, a trombone feature for Callum Au, was the first of the Dankworth tributes: a quiet opening, with some delicious brushwork from Scott Chapman under Callum’s wistful playing, evolved into a faster tempo with a swing solo before reverting to a ballad, ending with a lovely a capella coda.

Callum’s up-tempo arrangement of Cole Porter’s Easy To Love featured solos from Will, this time on clarinet, and Rob Greenwood. Scott interjected some appropriate drum fills during the ensemble breaks, and contributed a solo near the end, before Will took it to a conclusion with some lovely clarinet playing over the rest of the band.

Sarah, a long-time champion of Bill’s vocal œuvre, chose two of his songs to mark her (sadly, one-off) return to the band. Let’s Settle Down started with Jon Russell accompanying Sarah through the intro – later Henry Armburg-Jennings and Lucas Dodd added solos.

You Were Marvellous Darling, an elegiac reflection on lost love, had Will (left) both soloing and providing a delightful tenor counterpoint to Sarah’s vocal towards the end of the number.

Cannon Fodder, by the late Allan Ganley, is a NYJO staple – the sax section had an early soli before the ubiquitous Will, and Simon Marsh and Henry (muted trumpet), had solos. Jeff (flugel) and Henry then traded 8s and 4s before the ensemble play-out.

Unlike Sarah, Kwabena Adjepong opted for standards for his first vocal set, starting with ex-band member Evan Jolly’s arrangement of Fred Fisher’s familiar paean to Chicago – Will (again!) was the soloist. Evan also provided a fine arrangement for Kwabena’s next song – Hoagy Carmichael’s Rockin’ Chair – and Henry added an equally fine flugel solo.

The first set ended with another tribute to Sir John, this one an alto feature for Johnny Griffiths (right) playing Dankworth’s arrangement of Indiana – according to Bill, this is based on the chords of Donna Lee. Will once again provided the solo.

One of the great strengths of NYJO’s music philosophy is that band members are encouraged to write and arrange their own original material. So the second set started with Resurrection, an up-tempo number, written by Henry for his Quintet recording Out Of The Starting Blocks, re-arranged for big band. After a guitar intro from Jon, Henry was featured on flugel – a sax section soli was followed by a yet another solo from the willing Will before the ensemble coda.

Almost There was a masterful guitar ballad feature for Jon, whilst Martin Williams’ perennial band favourite La Muchacha… gave Barry Clements, Lucas, Callum and Henry further exposure to the solo spotlight. Scott and Dave Elliott gave a dramatic drums ‘n’ percussion display to bring the piece to its conclusion.

Kwabena (right) returned with another Evan Jolly-arranged Hoagy Carmichael offering, the reflective Georgia On My Mind. Henry started with a solo statement of the theme, and the ensemble joined in, with the sax section on flutes, before the vocal refrain – Chris then played it out on piano. Rose Room, although a nice tune, and very old, is not a traditional standard, partly because, as Bill attests, the original words are rubbish… To remedy this, Bill wrote some new ones, got Evan to arrange the tune and Kwabena to sing the result – and very good it was too, with the sax section contributing an accomplished soli break half way through.

Evan also wrote, arranged and named the next one – Lisson Groove – in a hip reference to the eponymous Grove near the band’s rehearsal venue. This is an extended work-out for the trombone section, both collectively and individually – after a section soli, Callum, Kieron McLeod (left) and Alex Paxton each took a solo and then traded 8s and 4s over some of Scott’s subtle drum interjections before the big ensemble finish.

Two songs brought the concert to a conclusion: the first of these, Mark Nightingale’s arrangement of Rodgers and Hart’s My Funny Valentine, had been re-worked by Sarah and Kwabena, during the break between sets, as a stunning vocal duet. Chris and Jon introduced it with an a cappella duet before the trombone section came in under the duetting singers. Later still Jon contributed some wonderfully lyrical guitar lines to complement the vocals before providing a beautiful solo with just the rhythm section for accompaniment. Then the trombones, playing with just the rhythm section, led into Sarah and Kwabena’s delightfully harmonised coda – this was a musical tour de force by everyone involved…

On the basis that you can’t have too much of a good thing, and since she was a special guest with the band today, Sarah took the opportunity to conclude the concert with one of Bill’s up-beat vocal ‘classics’, Much Too Much. Arranged by Chris Smith, it’s a great chart, swings like mad – Kieron had a solo; Sarah did some vocalese – and, with its abrupt ending, it satisfies the old criterion of success: leave the audience wanting more…

They certainly did, but they’ll just have to come back next time NYJO play The Manor!

Review: Steve Harris & Ian Fielding : Pictures: Alan Tagg & Bill Ashton

The Music: When You’re Ready (Evan Jolly) : The Good Life (Sacha Distel) : La Muchacha de Colombia (Martin Williams) : A Nightingale Swang  (Maschwitz & Sherwin, arr. Mark Armstrong) : It’s All Right With Me (v) (Cole Porter, arr. Sam Nestico) : I Wish You Love (v) (Charles Trenet, arr Callum Au) : Port Au Prince (Callum Au) :  I Was Hoping (v) (Ashton & Clarke) : You’d Think I’d Learn (v) (Bill Ashton & Christine Denmead, arr. Josh Daniels) : Don’t   Mention   The   Blues   (Mark   Armstrong) : Abigail (Mark Armstrong) : Tears In Rain (Mark Armstrong) : No Moon At All (v) (Evans & Manne, arr. Dave Foster) : Angel Eyes (v) (Matt Dennis & Earl Brent, arr. Callum Au) : Barker Is Willing (Callum Au) : I Love The Girl Who Can’t Show Love To Me (v) (Tim Hopkins, arr. Callum Au) : Morning Glories (v) (arr. Evan Jolly). [(v) are the vocals]

The Gig: The band was full of familiar faces to-day and the only late arrival was bass guitarist Conor Chaplin, so Jon Russell ‘depped’ on bass for the first set.

The concert started with the irrepressible Evan Jolly’s When You’re Ready, a lovely swinging tune, which started with the muted trumpets stating the theme. There was a string of solos from Lucas Dodd, Tom Walsh (muted trumpet), Richard Shepherd, Henry Armburg-Jennings (open trumpet), Lucas again and Tom again, but without the mute. Sacha Distel’s The Good Life followed, with some glorious tenor saxophone playing from the incomparable Richard. Lucas led the saxes on his soprano for this one.

Martin Williams’ legacy, La Muchacha…, was next – always a great favourite, not least, I suspect, because of the opportunity to hear some splendid bass-trombone playing; Barry Clements was the obliging virtuoso to-day. Lucas, Alex Paxton and the elegant Laura Jurd (right) played the solos before the “bangers and crashers” (Scott Chapman & James Larter) took over for the orgy of percussion which is at the heart of this composition.

For some reason, which I’ve never heard explained, Mark Armstrong’s lovely arrangement of A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square is called A Nightingale Swang. It’s played at a leisurely, beguiling tempo and Jeff Green, Callum Au and Lucas played the solos this time around. I noticed that Callum has adopted the  habit of  pushing  the bell of his instrument right over the microphone – it makes a strange noise. I saw – and heard – Buster Cooper doing the same thing at the Ellington Conference in 2008 and he sounded even worse!

Kwabena Adjepong (left) was the first singer of the afternoon, with Cole Porter’s It’s All Right With Me. It was a nice, singer friendly, Sam Nestico arrangement, sung with masterly ease by Kwabena. There was a lovely solo from Chris Eldred at the keyboard. Another French ballad, Charles Trenet’s I Wish You Love was next, in another of Callum’s arrangements. Richard was the instrumental soloist and there was some nice scoring for the flutes, which had the band sounding like the Sauter-Finegan band.

The next one was an instrumental composition from Callum called Port Au Prince. It started with a lovely keyboard introduction from Chris and the performance included a couple of fine solos from Callum and Lucas. The first half ended with two songs from Emma Smith: the first was I Was Hoping, in which she indulged in some vocalese in harmony with the saxophone section. Henry, Ollie Nazhati and Chris played the instrumental solos. Emma’s second song was You’d Think I’d Learn – she started off with the verse, accompanied by just Chris at the keyboard, and after the first chorus we were treated to another solo from Lucas on alto.

Conor arrived during the interval so we had a full rhythm section for the second half, with Jon forsaking the bass and returning to his proper guitar. I’d like to tell you what they started the second half with but unfortunately Bill Ashton didn’t mention it. (That’s because it is called Don’t Mention The Blues, Ted! – SH/IF). All I can tell you is that it featured Callum (left) on trombone.

The second number was Mark Armstrong’s Abigail, in which the flute is well to the fore. It has a Latin-American flavour and we were treated to some of Jon’s impeccable guitar playing for the first time in the concert. Henry contributed a delightful flugelhorn solo and this was followed by lots drums and percussion.

Another of Mark’s compositions followed: Tears In Rain is a quotation from a film called Blade Runner – “…all those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain, time to die…” It’s a very attractive ballad and featured Will Gibson on tenor. It started with the saxophones and flutes and there was some clever scoring which had the section simulating the sound of raindrops. Chris finished it off with a keyboard coda. 

Emma came back to the vocal mic for two more songs: No Moon At All and Angel Eyes, apparently one of Bill’s favourite songs. Dave Foster did the arrangement of the first one back in 2002, when we were about to celebrate the Queen’s Golden Jubilee. It’s a great chart and always worth listening to. There was a bass guitar introduction from Conor and solos from Jeff (flugelhorn) and Richard. I didn’t enjoy the second one so I won’t comment on it.

Barker Is Willing was written for Ed Barker, who has now left the band because he’s reached the ripe old age of twenty five and so it’s been handed over to Lucas. It’s one of Callum’s noisier compositions and everybody enjoyed it. There was some fine keyboard playing from Chris, and Jon was well to fore with his guitar. But the main solo was played by Lucas, with lots of off-beat hand-clapping accompaniment from the band.

The concert ended with two songs from Kwabena: I Love The Girl Who Can’t Love Me (probably the longest title of any arrangement in the band’s library!) is a very nice ballad. I have my reservations about the subject of the lyric but, nevertheless, I enjoyed Will’s (left) tenor solo.

 The last one was the joyous Morning Glories, which sent everybody on their separate ways with smiles on their faces.

Review: Ted Gascoigne  Photos: Alan Tagg/Bill Ashton

The Music: U-Turn (Steve Titchener) : Putney Vale (Tom Stone, arr. Callum Au) : Salute To The Sun (Mark Armstrong) : A Step To Far (v) (Bill Ashton, arr. Callum Au) : My Romance (Rodgers & Hart, arr. Callum Au) : The Singular Mr Dodd (Callum Au) : In-Swinger (Humphrey Lyttelton, arr. Callum Au) : Whatever Happens (v) (Tim Hopkins, arr. Evan Jolly) : It’s So Easy (v) (Mike Sammes & Bill Owen) : Tiny Tim (Paul Hart) : Body And Soul (Johnny Green) : Barker Is Willing (Callum Au) : Too Close For Comfort (v) (Bock, Holofcener & Weiss) : One More Time (v) (Bill Ashton, arr. Evan Jolly) : Groove Rider (Gareth Lockrane) : Summer Sundays (Chris Denmead & Steve Gray, arr. Tommy Laurence) : Looking Back (v) (Derek Goom & Chris Denmead) : Winter Wonderland (v) (Bernard & Smith) [Vocal numbers (v)]

The Gig: NYJO’s regular Feast of St John concert took place a little bit later than planned because traffic problems on the M25 had delayed the lead trombone, the lead alto and the baritone. But they were all in place by the second number.

The concert started with Steve Titchener’s U-Turn, a lively opus that was just the right tonic for a cold and snowy day. Chris Eldred (left) started it off with just the drums ‘n’ bass; the saxophones joined in, the brass followed and Richard Shepherd and Mark Perry played the solos. Everybody had a part to play in the opening of Putney Vale, which set the tone for Tom Stone’s long and absorbing solo, played initially with just the rhythm section. Eventually Tom had the backing of the full band and we were also treated to a solo from Jon Russell on guitar.

Salute To The Sun was composed and arranged for the band when it was supported by the oil company BP, which has a rising sun in its logo: the composer and arranger was Mark Armstrong. It started with a noisy, medium tempo funky rhythm. Ed Barker and Robbie Harvey played the solos and Jon could be seen playing rhythm guitar with his thumb while chewing on his plectrum. The arrangement included a very attractive section for the unaccompanied brass.

The first vocal of the afternoon was Bill Ashton’s A Step Too Far, arranged by Callum Au. Emma Smith sang it delightfully, helped out by a solo from Ed’s alto. She followed it with Callum’s arrangement of Rodgers and Hart’s My Romance. This time Chris started it with a piano introduction, aided by Henry Armburg-Jennings on flugelhorn. Emma sang the first chorus with just Jon’s guitar. Then we heard the full band with Henry A-J remaining on flugelhorn. The Singular Mr Dodd is a showcase for Lucas Dodd (right) – not ‘Dodds’ as most people are inclined to think, apparently. It started with a fearsome drum break from Scott Chapman, which set the vigorous tempo and along the way there was some of Callum’s clever and attractive scoring for the brass before Lucas took over for this attractive alto feature.

In-Swinger is the only composition of the late Humphrey Lyttleton in the band’s library. It was arranged by the seemingly ubiquitous Callum Au. There was an introduction from the rhythm section with some noisy interjections from the band before the full ensemble took over with Henry A-J soloing on muted trumpet, reproducing Humph’s regular solo. Richard played a solo and Ed could be heard playing the clarinet in the ensemble.

This concert, incidentally, was being used as preparation for NYJO’s regular January residency at Ronnie Scott’s club. On the Wednesday of the engagement the House of Commons Jazz Group will be in attendance, so included in the programme was Tim Hopkins’ tune Whatever Happens, arranged by Evan Jolly – Tim is the brother of MP Kelvin Hopkins, who is on the NYJO Board. Kwabena Adjepong sang the song and Ed played the only solo. Kwabena was featured on the next one as well – Mike Sammes’ and Bill Owens’ It’s So Easy: Mark played the solo on this.

The second half started with Tiny Tim, part of Paul Hart’s new suite entitled A Christmas Carol, which is based on Charles Dickens’ novel. It’s a joyous romp from start to finish, which was set on its’ way with a solo from Reuben Fowler. James Larter and Mark could be heard to good effect before a change of tempo allowed Ed to play a sombre clarinet solo. Then it was back up to speed with Tom Stone on tenor and a coda on soprano saxophone from Ed.

Then Richard (left) stepped up to the solo mic to give us a ravishing rendition of Body And Soul. This is one of four arrangements of this song that the band has in its library, which owes its origins to a ‘Jazz Cruise’ in the Caribbean which the band did four years ago. The theme of the cruise concerts was the music of Coleman Hawkins and this is the one tune above all others that will be forever associated with ‘Bean’. From start to finish it was all Richard, who emulated the Hawkins style and tone to perfection!

The next one was a new one: Barker Is Willing by Callum Au is a tribute to Ed’s helpfulness in all sorts of situations. Played at a slower tempo than the previous composition, Ed was heard above the noisy opening from the band. Chris then soloed briefly and Jon soloed over the ensemble before Ed took over completely. Towards the end he was accompanied by the band clapping their hands.

Then it was back to the vocalists, with Kwabena singing Tommy Laurence’s arrangement of Too Close For Comfort – super singing served with some sumptuous accompaniment from Richard’s tenor. Kwabena followed it with Bill’s Basie-inspired One More Time, arranged by Evan Jolly. With super flautist Helen Wilson in the band it was no surprise to find Gareth Lockrane’s Groove Rider in the programme. As well as Helen’s flute playing we heard from Robbie Harvey (right), with a real virtuoso solo, and Richard – we also heard briefly from Jon.

The concert finished with three vocals: Summer Sundays from Emma, with some fine rhythm guitar from Jon, Looking Back from Emma and Winter Wonderland from Emma, Kwabena and Jessica Dowdeswell. A fine trio of songs beautifully sung by an equally fine trio of singers and a very apt last number, considering the weather!

Review: Ted Gascoigne  Photos: Alan Tagg

The Music: Opening Time (Dick Walter) : Bruised Blues (Chris Smith) : With An Open Mind : Along Came Benny : In The Stone* : Mr Anthony’s Boogie* : Mas-que-reda* : Sesame Street* : Soul Bossa* (Quincy Jones) : The Groover (arr. Chris Smith) : Footsie : [Interval: A Night In Tunisia ; Yardbird Suite] :

Until I Met You (Corner Pocket) : Miss Fine (Oliver Nelson): Night Song (Brian Fahey) : Swinging Gates (Mark Armstrong, arr.Evan Jolly) : Daahoud# (Bud Powell) : My Funny Valentine# (Rodgers & Hart, arr. David Kaye) : Manteca (Dizzy Gillespie) : Dirty Dan (Bill Watrous) : Still Doing The Trick With The Horse, Madam? (Chris Smith).
[Numbers marked * were conducted by Mark Horton; # were played by the David Kaye Sextet]

The Gig: Our music policy at The Manor is flexible enough to allow us sometimes to feature ‘little’ big bands, but with NYJO2 we never have to compromise our true big band ideals – this band featured no fewer than thirty three players, eventually!

As is now becoming traditional, prior to this gig Paul Eshelby had expressed his concern about the readiness of the band to face a ‘live’ audience. He really shouldn’t worry – the gratifyingly large crowd that gathered at The Manor, many of whom were seeing NYJO2 for the first time, were more than impressed by the astounding musical ability, and playing enjoyment, that the band demonstrated.

And the music wasn’t the safe and predictable selection we might have expected either.
The concert started, appropriately, with Opening Time – this contains a quite difficult sax soli section, which was effortlessly negotiated by the massed ranks of reeds, whilst With An Open Mind was an extended feature for the delightful trumpet of Tom Gardner.

Mark Horton (left) conducted the band through a range of numbers as varied as Earth, Wind and Fire’s In The Stone, Ray Anthony’s eponymous Boogie, the theme from Sesame Street and Quincy Jones’ Soul Bossa – a quite eclectic mix, which the band negotiated superbly.

During the interval we were entertained by a septet comprising (from left) John Tazare, Pete Hutchins, Don Pusey, James Pritchard (hidden), Johnny Ensor, Rees Beckles and Charlie Osborne. Their choice of Night In Tunisia and Charlie Parker’s Yardbird Suite gave them a chance to demonstrate that they have no fear – it was great!

The second set contained another interesting selection of numbers, from the Basie-esque Corner Pocket (otherwise know as Until I Met You) Brian Fahey’s Night Song, which was a feature for Charlie Osborne, Mark Armstrong’s homage to band benefactor Clive Gates, arranged by Evan Jolly, some Dizzy Gillespie and even a number by trombonist Bill Watrous – not a normal choice for bands at The Manor, but an indication that this band are not afraid to tackle anything, no matter how difficult.

Part way through, the David Kaye Sextet took over to stretch out on Bud Powell’s Daahoud and render David’s lovely arrangement of My Funny Valentine.

All told, this was a lovely concert: the band acquitted itself with real distinction and the surprisingly original music programme was enjoyed enormously by a sizeable and appreciative audience – nice one, NYJO2!

Review: Steve Harris/Ian Fielding   Photos: Chris Glass