Tom
Talking with one of the music directors of a college band from the States last month, he expressed the opinion that there is no "big band tradition" in Europe whereas the music is ingrained in to the American culture. If I'm honest, you could count the "worthwhile" big bands from the Uk on the fingers of your hand. For the most part, those that that pursued an original path such as Spike Hughes, John Dankworth, Kenny Wheeler, Mike Gibbs, Mike Westbrook , Loose Tubes and Brotherhood of Breath have genuinely offered something fresh and exciting. There are a number of British writers too who have absolutely nailed big band writing with the likes of Steve Gray (former poster on the old BBC Radio 3 "jazz bored") being shamefully taken for granted. When I was a nipper listening to the BBC Radio big band running through Brookmeyer and Thad Jones scores, the charts Steve Gray produced always seemed a highlight. Shame that the "progressive" policy they employed in the 1980's was curtailed in the early 1990's when they were prohibited from playing charts that were "too advanced. (I used to get to an annual meeting in Yateley where they always had guest performances by professional big bands to conclude the afternoon and they managed to get the BBC band to perform one year. It was during this point that some of the musicians let slip about the change in policy - contrary to Calum's assertions, this band did have a "progressive agenda" in the 1980's and the change in repertoire is alleged to have come from the programme makers and not the musicians themselves. )
However, I think Tom neatly sums up the relationship between the British public and genuine jazz. For the most part, put jazz in a more public and high profile venue and the results will generally disappoint. We just don't seem to have the will or ability to understand the tradition with large, jazz ensembles and only seem to get it right when the music is shaped in our own identity. There have been excellent British jazz orchestras as I have listed above as well as "swing bands" like Ted Heath's who probably mirror a group like les Brown's who could dabble in jazz quite proficiently but with little real connection. That said, it doesn't always work so you get bands led by the likes of the late Michael Garrick which I have found to be twee in the extreme. (Don't even get me on his "happy, clappy religious stuff which probably represents a nadir in British modern jazz and something I find as hard to abide as stuff like Barber, Ball and Bilk. )
Talking with one of the music directors of a college band from the States last month, he expressed the opinion that there is no "big band tradition" in Europe whereas the music is ingrained in to the American culture. If I'm honest, you could count the "worthwhile" big bands from the Uk on the fingers of your hand. For the most part, those that that pursued an original path such as Spike Hughes, John Dankworth, Kenny Wheeler, Mike Gibbs, Mike Westbrook , Loose Tubes and Brotherhood of Breath have genuinely offered something fresh and exciting. There are a number of British writers too who have absolutely nailed big band writing with the likes of Steve Gray (former poster on the old BBC Radio 3 "jazz bored") being shamefully taken for granted. When I was a nipper listening to the BBC Radio big band running through Brookmeyer and Thad Jones scores, the charts Steve Gray produced always seemed a highlight. Shame that the "progressive" policy they employed in the 1980's was curtailed in the early 1990's when they were prohibited from playing charts that were "too advanced. (I used to get to an annual meeting in Yateley where they always had guest performances by professional big bands to conclude the afternoon and they managed to get the BBC band to perform one year. It was during this point that some of the musicians let slip about the change in policy - contrary to Calum's assertions, this band did have a "progressive agenda" in the 1980's and the change in repertoire is alleged to have come from the programme makers and not the musicians themselves. )
However, I think Tom neatly sums up the relationship between the British public and genuine jazz. For the most part, put jazz in a more public and high profile venue and the results will generally disappoint. We just don't seem to have the will or ability to understand the tradition with large, jazz ensembles and only seem to get it right when the music is shaped in our own identity. There have been excellent British jazz orchestras as I have listed above as well as "swing bands" like Ted Heath's who probably mirror a group like les Brown's who could dabble in jazz quite proficiently but with little real connection. That said, it doesn't always work so you get bands led by the likes of the late Michael Garrick which I have found to be twee in the extreme. (Don't even get me on his "happy, clappy religious stuff which probably represents a nadir in British modern jazz and something I find as hard to abide as stuff like Barber, Ball and Bilk. )
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