GNBBJF - Sunday March 5 (Youth Section)

Sunday afternoon was all about eight youth bands. They arrived in Chester-le-Street by coach, car, possibly bus and train, ready to give it their all. Familiar ensembles, familiar MDs, many familiar faces, the hall filled with young musicians and their supporters. As competition was about to commence, the Great North Big Band Jazz Festival's director, Bill Watson, remarked upon the fact that, over the course of the weekend, several hundred musicians will have converged on Park View Community Centre in this, the event's twentieth anniversary year. 

Due to the late arriving Musica Holme Valley Big Band, Harrogate Youth Jazz Orchestra (MD, James Heaton) stepped up to open the afternoon's competition. The Harrogate ensemble included several musicians who, earlier in the day, were on stage during the schools' competition with St Aidan's Swing Band. Birk's Works (bold tenor sax and trumpet solos), Li'l Darlin' (muted trumpet solo) and Bob Mintzer's Computer with a scorching alto sax solo, MD James Heaton largely left the musicians to get on with it. The sign of a good band! 

Musica Holme Valley Big Band (MD, Gavin Brown) presented a fine looking programme ranging from Birdland to Gordon Goodwin's Jazz Police to a Gavin Brown arrangement of the anthemic Uptown Funk. A euphonium was spotted in the ensemble, not surprising really as the outfit hails from West Yorkshire brass band country! A most enjoyable set.

Wigan Youth Training Jazz Orchestra (MD, Sharon Darby-Purcell) is, as its name suggests, a junior ensemble in the amazing Wigan youth jazz set up. Hit the Bricks to Boogie Shoes, WYTJO is the feeder outfit to the 'senior' Wigan Youth Jazz Orchestra. Owen Parr, pianist with said WYJO, asked Ms Darby-Purcell if he could conduct the Training Orchestra. And there he was, standing in front of the band to guide them through Living for the City and Everybody Needs Somebody. The future of jazz 'n' all that...it's in safe hands. 

Musica Colne Valley Big Band arrived with a good looking programme. Jimmy Smith's Back in the Chicken Shack (minus the B3), arranged by Ray Leonard, doesn't make a big band set list too often, it was good to hear it here in Chester-le-Street. Vocalist Eleanor Dierckx sang Natural Born Woman, another surprise selection. An interesting set.

Scissett Youth Band isn't your conventional big band, rather it takes its lead more from street bands, dispensing with formalised sections, opting for two rows of horn players facing one another with a drummer in there to keep things civilised. No out front MD, the ensemble quite content to do things its own way, Cruisin' for a Bluesin'  and Chaka Khan's Ain't Nobody featuring trumpeter Anna Richardson the highlights of the set.

Tyne Valley Youth Big Band (MDs, Joe Steels & Evan Abell) Historically, the Tyne Valley bands - junior and senior - are nothing if not large in number. As the 2023 youth band took to the stage it came as a surprise to see a dramatically scaled down ensemble. In the absence of Joe Steels, co-MD Evan Abell took charge of matters. Three punchy numbers - Pick Up the Pieces, Mercy, Mercy, Mercy and the Hypnotic Brass Band's Planet Gibbous - with a blistering trumpet solo by Ferg Kilsby defied the odds of a band low on numbers. A job well done. 

The penultimate big band to perform at this year's GNBBJF arrived in Chester-le-Street as favourites to retain its title. Wigan Youth Jazz Orchestra (MD, Dave Little) accumulates trophies here, there and everywhere. Frequent participants here in County Durham, Dave Little's band not only sounds good, the musicians look the part. It's as if they were going to work, and in a sense, that's what they were doing on this Sunday afternoon (double time payments?). From Hammerstein and Kern's All the Things You Are to Harlem Nocturne, a terrific take on Hot House to Lady Madonna, this was some band. Owen Parr (see photo), seen earlier in the day conducting the Wigan Training ensemble, produced a bravura performance at the piano. The packed hall roared its approval. 

It was a tough 'ask' to follow the WYJO. Musica Youth Jazz (MD, Adam Kingham) took up the cudgels with a seamless Themes of James Bond medley. A good strategy, could it be a winning one? Chris Martin and Heather Vayro  hammed it up on the favourite of some, I Wanna be Like You. To close this year's GNBBJF, Musica Youth bowed out on Gordon Goodwin's, yes, you've guessed it, Jazz Police. An ensemble boasting a good trumpet section, bass and drums, Musica Youth Jazz - and the audience - awaited the verdict of the adjudicators.          

                           

Bill Watson's indefatigable team of assistants cleared the stage to welcome the presentation party. Festival director Watson read out the results as follows:

Adjudicators' award: Ferg Kilsby, trumpet (Tyne Valley Youth Big Band)

Adjudicators' award: Seth Barraclough, saxophone & arrangement (Musica Youth Jazz)

Adjudicators' award: Anna Richardson, trumpet (Scissett Youth Band) 

The Mark Jon Bolderson Percussion Foundation award: Drummer (Wigan Youth Jazz Orchestra)

Best Programme: Wigan Youth Jazz Orchestra

Best Section: Brass Sections (trumpets & trombones) Harrogate Youth Jazz Orchestra

Best Soloist: Owen Parr, piano (Wigan Youth Jazz Orchestra)

Best Band: Wigan Youth Jazz Orchestra

Festival director Bill Watson thought that was it for another year...not quite! In recognition of his dedication and hard work in making the Great North Big Band Jazz Festival the success it undoubtedly is, adjudicators Marcus Brown and Mick Donnelly presented Mr Watson (see first photo) with a small gift as a token of thanks from everyone associated with the event - those who work behind the scenes, the musicians and audience. Russell