Innovations Jazz Orchestra
IT was a transformed Innovations Jazz Orchestra that took to the stage at The Haymarket recently for a concert to honour eighty years since the formation of the Count Basie Big Band.
The rhythm section set and maintained an authoritative tone right from the opening bars of Strike Up The Band.
Neat transitions between pieces kept the pace of the concert with soloists coming out front to play, just like in the good old days of Basie.
The sets were pitched well with a mix of fast and slow and the band had great stage presence, visually engaging as well as aurally arresting.
The band were authentic and faithful to the arrangements we knew whilst bringing us a well-chosen array of lesser known charts such as the train-track blues Hobo Flats which was a tour de force for trumpeter Steve Hatfield.
Take The A-Train, inspired by Basie’s collaboration with Duke Ellington saw trumpeter Neil Armstrong deliver a tremendous solo full of respect to the sound and style of the era.
This band has real strength and depth in its players.
Taking Basie’s place in the band was Tim Newbury on piano who played solidly, shining with his stride boogie-woogie playing and a variety of styles in keeping with the breadth of the repertoire.
Other notable performances came from the twin tenor saxophonists. Lizzie Locke’s playing in Lester Leaps In was exciting, full of confidence with fabulous tone. Tim Leonard’s solo in Strike Up The Band was delivered with real fidelity and warmth.
Drummer James Avison supplied understated but confident and original playing to drive the band with a great vintage kit sound.
David Tugwell brought a rich timbre and inch-perfect walking bass playing with bags of energy and vigour and guitarist Ed Jones’ sound was beautiful with subtle comping and quite exquisite solos.
Fay Unsworth’s solo flute on Cute was a sweet and beautifully played counterpoint to the oomph of the band – IJO is unique in having a dedicated flute section and it was showcased perfectly in this set.
Vocalist Ian Moir grew in confidence throughout the evening to deliver swagger and substance with an energetic and sincere performance. It would have been good to have heard a female singer too given the contribution that singers like Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald made to the Basie canon.
Lorna Mountford on alto sax is the band’s musical director and she was a confident presence on stage delivering notes to the music that were interesting and to the point, bringing the audience closer to the sense of legacy that Basie has given to bands like this.
Under her leadership, this group is emerging as a very tight ensemble and I would be surprised not to see IJO appearing at a jazz festival near you before very long such is the standard they have attained.
This was a confident, powerful performance by a band with a strong sense of the rich tapestry of big band music within which they’ve earned their place.
Adrian S. Narracott
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here