Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Birmingham Jazz Orchestra: Rough Boundaries
Birmingham Jazz Orchestra: Rough Boundaries
ByOn Burns Orchestra founder Sean Gibbs took on the key roles of conductor and composer. This time he hands over those duties to Jacky Naylor, a fellow Birmingham Conservatoire graduate, and takes a seat in the trumpet section. Naylor's five compositions are based on his experiences in five different citiesall visited in the 14 months prior to recording. Naylor wrote each composition with the aim of ..."capturing, and re-creating [each city's] character and nuances," as he puts it: the Orchestra brings those nuances to life.
These are five very different cities: differences that are conveyed by the music whether or not the listener is familiar with the places. The free-form, discordant, opening to "Moscow" suggests a slight air of menacecarried through by the horn section and David Ferris' pianoa mood that lightens and becomes more welcoming when altoist Lee Griffiths takes his solo. "Bilbao" is immediately exciting, vibrant and active, the trumpets given centre-stage with bright, energetic phrases. "Stockholm" is sophisticated, maybe even a little snooty: Naylor gives the tune a slower pace, a softer tone, and Hugh Pascall's graceful trumpet solo heightens the feel of a confident and comfortable capital. "Reykjavik" opens in rather mysterious fashion, trumpeter Tom Syson and pianist Ferris delivering restrained and beautiful solos as the ensemble builds layers of soundthe sound of the Icelandic capital's mix of ancient legend and modern cool. "Marrakech" is busy, bustling and edgya suitably powerful close to the album.
Rough Boundaries is another impressive album from this exciting new ensemble. It avoids the sound issues that impacted on Burnsevery track comes across clearly, with excellent balance between the sections. The Birmingham Jazz Orchestra is on the move, a big band with a definite promise for the future.
Track Listing
Moscow; Bilbao; Stockholm; Reykjavik; Marrakech.
Personnel
Jacky Naylor: conductor; Josh Schofield: alto saxophone; Lee Griffiths: alto saxophone, clarinet; John Fleming: tenor saxophone; Vittorio Mura: tenor saxophone; Alicia Gardener-Trejo: baritone saxophone, bass clarinet; Ellena Taylor: flute; Tom Syson: trumpet; Hugh Pascall: trumpet; Sean Gibbs: trumpet; Alex Astbury: trumpet; Richard Foote: trombone; David Sear: trombone; John Tagg: trombone; Andrew Clennell: trombone; Ben Lee: guitar; David Ferris: piano; Stuart Barker: double bass: Jonathan Silk: drums.
Album information
Title: Rough Boundaries | Year Released: 2016 | Record Label: Self Produced
< Previous
The Digging
Next >
A Zoology of the Future