(Jazz in Scotland - Press release.)
2015 marks the twentieth birthday
of the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra and the stars are already in alignment
for a very special year of celebrations, beginning with our February concerts
and the marvellous music of the remarkable Billy Strayhorn.
Strayhorn was born in 1915 and
his name is synonymous with Duke Ellington’s finest work. The hugely prolific
Strayhorn composed and arranged literally hundreds of pieces for Duke and wrote
many of Ellington’s greatest hits, often un-credited for his efforts.
In the 1990’s, jazz historian
Walter van de Leur uncovered dozens of previously unknown compositions by
Strayhorn. These captivating pieces sparkle with Billy Strayhorn’s musical ingenuity
and his obvious penchant for a brightly gregarious melody. Now those lost Strayhorn
tunes are in their rightful place as a restored chapter in the jazz repertoire.
In 2003, the SNJO directed by Van
de Leur, brought Strayhorn’s colourful melodies
brilliantly to life. Critics at
the time concurred: “Strayhorn’s adventurous harmonies… and musical textures
were beautifully rendered”, said The Scotsman, while The Herald
pronounced that these shows were,
“further endorsement of the orchestra's adaptability and readiness for, it
seems, any challenge.” Now, the SNJO offers a more rounded portrait of Billy
Strayhorn in concerts laced with Ellington era hits and sensitive Strayhorn
originals.
Join the SNJO and Take the A Train down to Chelsea Bridge, where Billy Strayhorn’s
humanity and optimism are further
revealed in numbers like Remember and
Jo.
Strayhorn’s “Midas touch” can
also be heard on Ellington’s controversial jazz treatments of the classics in
Edvard Grieg’s Anitra’s Dance and Morning Mood from Peer Gynt. However, Orson
and Theme from Anatomy of a Murder
are strong evidence of Strayhorn’s pre-existing and barely suppressed classical
ambitions. The SNJO also revisits Rhapsody
in Blue, this time in an elegant arrangement by Strayhorn that condenses
Gershwin’s jazz masterpiece into four minutes and forty-seven seconds of
shimmering jazz gold.
The Jazz Genius of Billy
Strayhorn is the story of warm, wonderful music created to spread happiness. In
the hands of the SNJO it’s a sound that makes you feel a bit more optimistic about
the world, and a reminder that it would have been a poorer place without the
influential contribution and timeless music of Billy Strayhorn.
Friday 20th February 2015 at 19:30 Queens Hall Edinburgh , Scotland
Saturday 21st February 2015 at 19:30 Buccleuch Centre Langholm, Scotland
Sunday 22nd February 2015 at 19:30 Royal Conservatoire Glasgow , Scotland
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