Scottish National Jazz Orchestra/Tommy Smith Youth Jazz Orchestra, Old Fruitmarket

Folk & Jazz critic

Tuesday 3 July 2012

Those looking for proof that playing in Tommy Smith's Youth Jazz Orchestra can lead to a step up to the top jazz ensemble in the UK would have found it in this invigorating concert.

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Rob Adams

A number of musicians, including three-quarters of the trombone section, put in a double shift, becoming members over the course of an interval and a quick change into a suit of the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra.

This may account for the fact that, in terms of the ensemble sound, the youngsters in TSYJO came over as fairly major league. Smith doesn't pander to inexperience; he gives TSYJO the same music to play as their senior counterparts and, other than a few directions, he lets them get on with it. The results were startling, and if the individual improvising revealed players at differing stages of development, there were examples – such as current Young Scottish Jazz Musician of the Year, alto saxophonist Ru Pattison's feature – that would have graced any professional situation.SNJO's set touched on past successes, including a brilliant reprise of their recent collaboration with Bobby Wellins, as Smith and fellow saxophonist Konrad Wiszniewski assumed the duelling tenors position, and previewed this autumn's Duke Ellington tribute. It sounds like it will be essential, as in addition to Ducal favourites including Satin Doll, Smith is preparing some lesser-played items including Billy Strayhorn's setting of Morning from Grieg's Peer Gynt, on which the orchestra produced a quality of sound that may well have been matchless.HHHH

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Scottish National Jazz Orchestra/Tommy Smith Youth Jazz Orchestra, Old Fruitmarket

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