Transatlantic connection inspires fiery orchestral
manoeuvres!
(Press release/Photo courtesy of Derek Clark Photography)
Feistiness, defiance, creativity, and
down-home gospel-blues grooves fire up the latest video “single” from the
Scottish National Jazz Orchestra, Courage: Jeep on 35°.
Featuring special guest, Chicagoan
vocalist Kurt Elling, the video captures singer and orchestra in exuberant form
in front of an enthusiastic Glasgow audience at the Royal Conservatoire of
Scotland.
Jeep on 35° is a composition by triple Grammy Award-winning guitarist John Scofield, here given a vocalese with attitude by Nina Clark, the English musical activist and 21st century minstrel.
Taken from the song cycle Syntopicon,
which brings human traits and values including knowledge and wisdom, good and
evil, language and joy to musical life, Jeep on 35° was chosen to represent
courage, and Elling doesn’t hold back. He inhabits lyrics and melody with huge
personality and a masterly range of rich vocal tones and agile phrasing.
At the time of the concert, Elling
and the SNJO had already toured Scotland three years previously. They had also
headlined at London Jazz Festival and Jazz Sous les Pommiers in Normandy and
recorded together in New York. The resultant familiarity allows Elling to be,
at once, the star singer and one of the band, revelling in both an exchange of
sophisticated, creative improvisations and a fiercely committed, bluesy conversation
with SNJO director, saxophonist Tommy Smith.
"We collaborated with Kurt again
the following year to celebrate Sinatra's centenary and on a dynamic choral
project entitled Spirit of Light in 2017, and he always delivers, as you would
expect from an artist who is widely regarded as the world’s top jazz vocalist,”
says Tommy Smith. “Jeep on 35° is prime Kurt Elling and the orchestra was on
great form that night too.”
Arranged by Chicago-born pianist and
composer Jim McNeely, Courage: Jeep on 35° follows two previous videos released
by the SNJO during the Covid-19 pandemic, a special arrangement of Sam Cooke’s
civil rights era classic A Change is Gonna Come, with musicians from New York,
San Francisco, London and Scotland, and Free Your Mind, a showcase for
Texas-born rising vocal star Jazzmeia Horn.
The video goes live on the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra’s YouTube channel on Wednesday, 30th September: https://youtu.be/-pXQyOrhTMA
1 comment :
Thanks Lance for posting this and for your daily hard work in letting us know what is going on. Just watched 14 mins of sheer talent particularly Kurt scatting with Tommy Smith. Premiered 2 hours ago, 147 views. It's music like this that is helping to lift spirits.
Jen
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