Prom 35: Ellington / Mary Lou Williams / Braxton, BBC SSO / Aaron Diehl Trio, Volkov

[bluestateprommer]

Thursday 15 August 2024
19:30
Royal Albert Hall

Duke Ellington (arr. Morton Gould):
(a) "Solitude"
(b) "Mood Indigo"
(c) "Sophisticated Lady"
(d) "Caravan

Mary Lou Williams: Zodiac Suite (European premiere)


Interval


Anthony Braxton: Composition No. 27 (+46, 59, 63, 146, 147, 151, LM) (first performance at The Proms)


Ingrid Laubrock, saxophone (Proms debut artist)
James Fei, saxophone (Proms debut artist)
Katherine Young, bassoon (Proms debut artist)
Chris Lewis, saxophone and clarinet (Proms debut artist)
Brandon Lee, trumpet (Proms debut artist)
Mikaela Bennett, soprano

Aaron Diehl Trio (Proms debut ensemble)
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Ilan Volkov, conductor

https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/eqwp8g

https://www.royalalberthall.com/tickets/proms/bbc-proms-24/prom-35/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0021pxw

[Ein Heldenleben]

Blimey Guvnor these Ellington arrangements are a bit Semprini serenade in the string department. They are playing them very well indeed.

The BBCSO brass seem to be channelling their inner Cootie Williams though.

Have to say I’m really enjoying it . Can’t believe how well the BBCSO are adapting to it though of course there may be well be co-opted jazzers in the ranks esp that superb tenor sax player …

some lovely sweet vibrato solo trumpet as well…

[edashtav]

Duke Ellington: Solitude, Mood Indigo, Sophisticated Lady, Caravan (all orchestrated by Morton Gould

Mary Lou Williams: Zodiac Suite for Jazz group and Orchestra

The Duke's pieces were suavely played by the BBC SSO and impeccably conducted by Ilan Volkov; is nothing beyond his elastic limits? I sense that my Jazz friends may have sneered whilst quipping "more Morton than Ellington, Ed."

Mary Lou Williams' music was new to me. Real crossover music with the crossover point being approximately 33:67 in favour of Jazz. It could have been called the Kaleidoscope suite so frequently did its perspective alter. I longed to get off Mary Lou's suburban stopping train and mount an Intercity smooth service. Too fidgety! Mary Lou Williams - a sweet, innocent crossover primitive. I warmed to the period charm of the final song.

Rather an easy listening first half. Some sofa smooching by a soft shoe couple. Home service, home listening. Smoky club music not RAH.

[edashtav]

Blimey Guvnor these Ellington arrangements are a bit Semprini serenade in the string department. They are playing them very well indeed.

The BBCSO brass seem to be channelling their inner Cootie Williams though.

Have to say I’m really enjoying it . Can’t believe how well the BBCSO are adapting to it though of course there may be well be co-opted jazzers in the ranks esp that superb tenor sax player …

some lovely sweet vibrato solo trumpet as well…

Semprini Serenade, indeed! For that name, I was searching - without outcome. Thanks, living Hero.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Semprini Serenade, indeed! For that name, I was searching - without outcome. Thanks, living Hero.

It was a Sunday evening Radio 2 programme featuring lush string arrangements by the eponymous Semprini.,

I don’t usually like “arranged string jazz” like the Charlie Parker with strings stuff as it doesn’t really swing . But have to say the BBC SSO carried it all off superbly and these were high quality arrangements. Their string section really committed themselves to it with no suggestion of “slumming it .” And if you do that it works ..

good rhythm section as well and the bought in jazzers also know what they’re doing. …

And so to Braxton . That’ll be somewhat different !

[LMcD]

It was a Sunday evening Radio 2 programme featuring lush string arrangements by the eponymous Semprini.,

!

'Old ones, new ones, loved ones, neglected ones'. Over 700 programmes, starting on the Light Programme in 1957 and ending on Radio 2 in 1982.

[Ein Heldenleben]

'Old ones, new ones, loved ones, neglected ones'. Over 700 programmes, starting on the Light Programme in 1957 and ending on Radio 2 in 1982.

For some reason Semprini never “arranged “ Braxton.

This is a very weird programme . The first half very conventional almost 40’s retro and the second somewhat “out there”

[edashtav]

To War!
Forward to the challenge of a kind of Meta Music by Anthony Braxton, a serious thinker about music , as capable at deconstruction as construction, of composing and decomposition...
Gosh, this to me is the essence of Radio 3.

Back to the Avant-Garde to William Glock , Hans Keller, Susan Bradshaw, Pierre Boulez and so many names and works of fond remembrance. I was transported back to a 'cushion concert' in Central Paris sponsored by Radio France. with Mr. And Mrs Berio amongst its composers,cperformers and luminaries. It was so cutting edge that the Hall was 'papered' . It didn't cost a cent even the cushions were gratis

Where, O where is Richard Barrett when we most need him?

Warm thanks to Kate Molleson and Ilan Volkov for thinking,the unthinkable.
it's impossible to review this set within a set of Anthony Braxton's radical ideas on one single hearing, but, equally, that task cannot be completed in the future for this production was unique and will never be repeated!

So, thanks, everyone who took tonight's mission so seriously.
(THE USE OF CARDS TO CONTROL THE MUSICAL JOURNEY LINKED THIS CONCERT TO PROM#1, NEAT!)
Tonight's Concert was worth the cost of a BBC TV+ licence.

[Maclintick]

Gosh, this to me is the essence of Radio 3.

Where, O where is Richard Barrett when we most need him?

....& Bryn, now you mention it, esp. with Cardew parallels acknowledged by Molleson & Worby this eve...

[edashtav]

....& Bryn, now you mention it, esp. with Cardew parallels acknowledged by Molleson & Worby this eve...

Bryn! Here... here, please!

[Serial_Apologist]

Yes indeedy! I gave up on Part 1; Part 2 was certainly a hark-back to an age when more than one listen will be needed to meet some tough musical challenges and figure out if any overall shape was to be discerned in the Braxton. I doubt very much if Robert Worby's preceding exegesis on Braxton along with his parallels with other figures and events of the period would have helped orientate anyone unfamiliar with "this kind of music" - rather than blathering on he would have done better to have reverted to the once-customary practice of straightforwardly giving the date or dates of composition and some guidance on form and procedures.

[edashtav]

Yes indeedy! I gave up on Part 1; Part 2 was certainly a hark-back to an age when more than one listen will be needed to meet some tough musical challenges and figure out if any overall shape was to be discerned in the Braxton. I doubt very much if Robert Worby's preceding exegesis on Braxton along with his parallels with other figures and events of the period would have helped orientate anyone unfamiliar with "this kind of music" - rather than blathering on he would have done better to have reverted to the once-customary practice of straightforwardly giving the date or dates of composition and some guidance on form and procedures.

Yes, the Interval discussion was one of the worst of this Proms season
I got the impression from listening to the audience clapping that this Prom was poorly attended.