Jazz review: National Youth Jazz Orchestra of Scotland

Published on Friday 23 July 2010 18:01

National Youth Jazz Orchestra of Scotland **** Tolbooth, Stirling

THERE was a time when youth big bands clung resolutely to tried and tested fare, but these days the level of ambition has grown enormously. For their latest tour, NYJOS took on a piece that would challenge any established big band, Kenny Wheeler's Sweet Time Suite, and then capped the concert with a second half of equally demanding and unusual music.

Co-director Andrew Bain conducted the young band through the manifold intricacies of Wheeler's lyrical seven-piece suite. They omitted Norma Winstone's wordless vocal contributions in the original, settling for a purely instrumental version that impressed with the discipline and coherence of the ensemble playing, enhanced by some resourceful soloing from tenor saxophonist Scott Murphy, Sean Gibbs on flugelhorn, Ruaridh Pattison on soprano and alto saxophones and bassist Brodie Jarvie, among others.

It was a shade underpowered in places, but it was a more than successful first outing, and should tighten up further by the time they reach Glasgow on Monday.

The special guest on this tour, former Loose Tubes trumpeter Chris Batchelor, led a celebratory and more informal second half in which the band revisited the music on which he cut his professional teeth, the South African-influenced jazz of London-based expatriates Dudu Pukwana and Chris MacGregor.

The players attacked this vibrant, colourful and often challenging music with real flair and freedom, and a palpable sense of engagement with - and enjoyment of - everything they did.