Rye Arts Festival National Youth Jazz Orchestra

A charity whose mission is to promote jazz as an exciting, engaging and inspirational art form through world-class performances and education work, NYJO has grown from a single jazz orchestra of emerging professionals to be a multi-faceted organisation that works in jazz education at all levels, and all around the country.

The 24-piece Jazz Orchestra remains the gateway to the profession for many future stars of the UK jazz scene and countless musical theatre and session musicians. NYJO’s alumni include Amy Winehouse, Joe Jackson, Sam Brown, Joe Stilgoe, Guy Barker, Laura Jurd, Mark Nightingale and the leader of the Strictly Come Dancing band Dave Arch (and most of his band members) plus music supervisor for the London 2012 Olympics Martin Koch.

The programme showcases the diverse range of music that falls under the banner of Jazz, from straight-ahead swing to contemporary music that incorporates minimalist elements, all highlighting the flexibility of the NYJO musicians and the range of rhythmic styles that a jazz orchestra can play. Love for Sale and Little Pixie are swing classics from the Buddy Rich Orchestra and the pen of Thad Jones, complemented by an original swing arrangement of September in the Rain from NYJO trombone alumnus Callum Au.

Band members are encouraged to bring their original music to the orchestra and here For the Road and Those On It, Matterhorn and Crepuscule are examples by current NYJO members along with an original by ex-NYJO flute player Gareth Locrane in Groove Rider. NYJO vocalists are featured in On The Street Where You Live, What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life, Fly Me To the Moon and God Bless the Child. The first three are standards that have found their way into the jazz tradition from stage and screen and the final selection was written by jazz vocal icon Billie Holliday. This forms a link to Wild Oak and The Earth Keeps Spinning, two NYJO commissions from contemporary female UK composers Nikki Iles and Laura Jurd. Artistic Director Mark Armstrong’s arrangement of A Night in Tunisia takes the programme home with a mixture of Latin and swing grooves.

PROGRAMME

Groove Rider – Gareth Locrane
Wild Oak – Nikki Iles
On The Street Where You Live – Lerner/Lowe arr. Nightingale
God Bless the Child – Billie Holliday arr. Armstrong
For The Road and Those On It – Tom Ridout
The Earth Keeps Spinning – Laura Jurd
Little Pixie – Thad Jones

Interval

Love For Sale – Porter arr. Myers
Crepuscule – Charlie Bates
September In The Rain – Warren/Dubin arr. Au
What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life? – Michel Legrand arr. Armstrong
Fly Me to the Moon – Howard arr. Riddle
Matterhorn – Barford
A Night In Tunisia – Gillespie arr. Armstrong