Concerts Thursday 17th November,Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) GlasgowFriday 18th November,The Blue Lamp, Aberdeen

C0NCERTS Thursday 17th NovemberRoyal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) Glasgow

Friday 18th NovemberThe Blue Lamp, Aberdeen

WELCOME TO TONIGHT’S CONCERT BY THE 2016EURORADIO JAZZ ORCHESTRA

It is a great honour to be hosting the 2016 Euroradio Jazz Orchestra. We are particularly thrilled that Tommy Smith, Scotland’s most prominent jazz artist and a leading and prolific educator is such an integral part of this project.

The Euroradio Jazz Orchestra is a unique initiative which supports jazz at the highest level. Each player here tonight has been nominated to represent their country by their national broadcaster. We hope that they will enjoy both a profound musical experience and also make lasting friendships as they build on their professional careers.

The concert at RCS Glasgow on 17th November will be recorded, and made available for broadcast by EBU radio organizations from 25th November onwards. It will be broadcast on Radio 3’s Jazz Line Up on the10th December 2016. Highlights will also feature onRadio Scotland’s Jazz House.

And finally, we are delighted to introduce Alexandra Ridout, the reigning BBC Young Musician of the Year - Jazz Award to our colleagues in Europe to perform Kenny Wheeler’s solo part in the Sweet Sister Suite.

Enjoy a unique moment in jazz history tonight!

Lindsay PellSenior Producer, Music

BBC Scotland | BBC Radio 3BBC Broadcasting House40 Pacific QuayGlasgow G51 1DA

Email: lindsay.pell@bbc.co.uk+44 (0)141 422 6640

THE EURORADIO JAZZ ORCHESTRA Musical Director: Tommy Smith

THE MUSIC

Sweet Sister Suite (composed and arranged by Kenny Wheeler)Soloist: Alexandra Ridout, trumpet

Interval

Numbers (from Torah, a jazz suite composed and arranged by Tommy Smith)

Duke Ellington’s Sound of Love (composed by Charles Mingus; arranged by Tommy Smith)

Beauty and the Beast4th Movement (from Beauty and the Beast, a jazz suite composed and arranged by Tommy Smith)

Yes Or No (composed by Wayne Shorter; arranged by Tommy Smith)

Splatch (composed by Marcus Miller; arranged by Fred Sturm)

The running order of this programme may be subject to change.

NOTES ON THE MUSIC

Jazz is an art form that routinely contradicts received wisdoms and stubbornly resists all but the broadest of categorizations. Musicians, audiences and commentators may struggle with the term, but everyone knows great jazz when they hear it.

The existence of the Euroradio Jazz Orchestra addresses several recurring points that are central to any conversation about jazz. It consists largely of the best young musicians from across Europe who come together at virtually a moment’s notice to perform highly improvisational music. Their commitment validates the universal contention that jazz is international, inclusive, creative, contemporary and relevant.

These are ideas that jazz trumpeter and composer Kenny Wheeler, whose Sweet Sister Suite takes up the first half of this programme, consistently brought to his outstanding music. This particular work was commissioned in 1996 by Tommy Smith and written over a two-year period. Wheeler often composed by noting down ideas and fragments whenever and wherever they occurred to him; a method that he was seen to employ while recording and touring with the Smith’s quartet in 1997.

The Sweet Sister Suite was premiered by the newly formed SNJO in May 1998 with Norma Winstone on vocals and Smith at the helm, and it is performed here on a public platform for only the second time. It is a textured, measured work, very much in the trademark style of a musician who treasured melody, through which he expressed a warm, humane and quietly passionate musical personality.

The second half of the concert consists of a selection of pieces chosen as much for their diversity as their relative modernity. The contrast between Smith’s lush reading of Duke Ellington’s Sound of Love composed by Charles Mingus, and Fred Sturm’s storming arrangement of Marcus Miller’s Splatch could not be greater, yet they are both visceral, immediate and powerful.

Those tunes featured on the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra’s landmark album American Adventure alongside Wayne Shorter’s Yes or No, which also features in this show. The recordings from those New York sessions showcased the respective talents of vocalist Kurt Elling, guitarist Mike Stern and vibraphonist Joe Locke. This evening sees some of the brightest young musicians in Europe enthusiastically stepping up as featured soloists, along with Tommy Smith whose contributions on tenor saxophone are invariably voiced in the most personal of ways.

The inherent bravado of contemporary jazz is ramped up to the hilt on two compositions by Tommy Smith that invite the European Radio Jazz Orchestra to bring all the ambition, energy and individualism they can muster. Numbers from Smith’s Torah suite was written for Joe Lovano, while the fourth movement of Beauty and the Beast is from a work composed originally for David Liebman. Both men are highly regarded saxophonists who relish challenges. The music is therefore a gift and a challenge to career jazz musicians who are ready to respond to the energetic demands of thrusting modern music.

In many ways the inclusion of Yes or No squares a jazz circle, for it is one of several 20th century standards that has a permanent place on the never-ending learning curve. It’s fun to play, it’s great to hear and it never gets old. That could be a description of jazz itself, and it’s personified by a spirit of camaraderie that draws the international membership of Euroradio Jazz Orchestra together in performance and in praise of an art form that is destined to stay forever young.

Tommy SmithMusical Director

Tommy Smith is a leading light in European jazz, first and foremost as one of the finest saxophonists of his generation, and latterly as the founder and current director of The Scottish National Jazz Orchestra (SNJO). His outstanding achievements affirm his status as an international recording artist; a composer and arranger of extraordinary ambition; and not least, as the current Head of Jazz at the Royal Conservatoire in Glasgow (RCS).

His prolific career began in earnest when, aged only sixteen, he recorded his first album Giant Strides. He was rewarded with a scholarship to Berklee College of Music, an experience that has shaped his affirmative approach to jazz. Since then, he has made twenty-seven solo albums as a leader for Blue Note, Linn and his own label Spartacus Records.

Smith has also earned the regard, support and friendship of the many respected jazz figures with whom he has collaborated and created great jazz. They include, but are not limited to, Gary Burton, Chick Corea, Jack DeJohnette, Kenny Barron, Arild Andersen, John Scofield, Kurt Elling, Makoto Ozone, Dizzy Gillespie, Trilok Gurtu and Jaco Pastorius.

His tenure with the SNJO has seen critically acclaimed performances and recordings of programmed and commissioned works including hugely popular treatments of Ellington, Strayhorn, Coltrane, Gershwin, Weather Report, Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter and Bobby Wellins.

Tommy Smith is also founder/director of The Tommy Smith Youth Jazz Orchestra and founder of the first ever full-time jazz course at the RCS. He also holds three honorary doctorates from Heriot-Watt, Glasgow-Caledonian and Edinburgh Universities, and a Professorship from the RCS.

He is recipient of numerous awards, particularly for his work with the SNJO and his work as a jazz educator. His trio album ‘KARMA’ (with bassist Kevin Glasgow and drummer Alyn Cosker) won him his sixth Scottish Jazz Award for album of the year in 2012. More recently, he was honoured with the Parliamentary Jazz Award for Jazz Educator of the Year 2016.

Tommy Smith’s most recent recording, ‘Modern Jacobite’ (2016) is a daring excursion into the realm of modern classical music featuring the full might of the 80-piece BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. It contains his original symphonic work, entitled simply Jacobite, which is an elegiac painting in music destined to endure “beyond his own lifetime”.

EURORADIO JAZZ ORCHESTRA 2016

Soprano / Alto Saxophone 1: Aleksander Paal Estonia Alto Saxophone 2: Max Zenger Finland Tenor Saxophone 1: Elisabeth Lid Trøen NorwayTenor Saxophone 2: Basile Rosselet SwitzerlandBaritone Saxophone: Jakub Cirkl Czech Republic

Trumpet 1: Darko Sedak Benčič SloveniaTrumpet 2: Alexander Kranabetter AustriaTrumpet 3: Nick Klaman SwedenTrumpet 4: Jakob Sørensen Denmark

Trombone 1: Richard Šanda Czech RepublicTrombone 2: Luca Spiler FranceTrombone 3: Kosta Vukasinović SerbiaBass Trombone 4: Kristoffer Siggstedt Sweden

Guitar: Rob Luft UKPiano: Peter Johnstone UKAcoustic Bass: Miha Koren SloveniaDrums: Giacomo Reggiani Switzerland

Singer on Sweet Sister Suite: Irini Arabatzi GreeceTrumpet Soloist on Sweet Sister Suite: Alexandra Ridout UK

Every year, the Euroradio Jazz Group, under the umbrella of the European Broadcasting Union puts together a European jazz big band tour headlining as the Euroradio Jazz Orchestra. Each EBU Member may send one musician under age 30 to perform on tour with the EJO in four concerts, concluding with two Euroradio Public Jazz Concerts organized by the host broadcaster. One of these concerts is always recorded by the EBU host broadcaster, which is responsible for rehearsals and all logistical and promotional planning. The 2016 EJO concerts will be based in Scotland this autumn at the kind invitation of the BBC.

The European Broadcasting Union is the world’s leading alliance of public service media, with 73 Members in 56 countries across Europe, and an additional 34 associates in Asia, Africa and the Americas. Our Members operate almost 2,000 television and radio channels alongside numerous online platforms. Together they reach an audience of more than one billion people around the world, and broadcast in more than 120 languages. The EBU operates the Eurovision and Euroradio services.

Euroradio enhances public service radio through the exchange of professional networking and the promotion of digital and hybrid radio to ensure that radio remains a potent medium in a multimedia world. This is achieved through the exchange and distribution of music,through strategic advice regarding the future of radio and via professional networking.

Euroradio broadcasts and video online offer streaming coverage of competitions, festivals and music events, such as the Euroradio Concert and Opera Seasons. It is also at the heart of the Eurosonic Festival, Europe’s foremost platform for new and emerging music talent.

The Euroradio Jazz Group consists of producers from EBU Members and Associates, and deal with all activities connected with jazz programming. Participants share and collaborate on such exciting projects as the Euroradio Jazz Concerts, the Euroradio Jazz Orchestra, Euroradio Jazz Competition and the Euroradio Jazz Day. Hugo Sekoranja from RTVS (Slovenia) currently serves as Chair of the Euroradio Jazz Group activities.

SAXOPHONES

Aleksander Paal | EstoniaAleksander Paal is one of Estonia’s most in-demand jazz saxophonists and composers in an emerging vanguard of exciting young musicians from the Baltic state.

He began in music school at the age of seven and studied classical piano before switching to saxophone at the age of ten. Soon after that, he discovered jazz music and the principles of improvising.

Paal participated in numerous local saxophone competitions in both classical and jazz disciplines, and won several of them. His most notable success came in 2012, when he won first prize at the Northern European Jazz Talent Contest in Groningen, Netherlands.

Aleksander Paal studied jazz music at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre and at the University of Music Franz Liszt Weimar. He is now a sought-after improviser both in the jazz idiom, and in new contemporary music circles. A versatile player, one of his strengths is his ability to comfortably accommodate different styles of music.

Max Zenger | FinlandMax Zenger is a saxophonist and woodwind specialist who plays in various groups as a leader and as a sideman. He is comfortable playing and writing music in a variety of settings from traditional, swing and folk to collective improvisation.

He began playing music at the age of five, and the piano was his main instrument until the age of sixteen, when he started taking saxophone lessons. In 2010, Max was accepted into the jazz department of Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, where he studied with some of the finest jazz musicians in Finland, and guest teachers such as Dick Oatts andMark Turner.

Max has composed for and appeared on two albums, Elämän Tarinoita (2012) with Filunki, and You´ll Hear From Me (2014) with Aura Flow. He is currently studying at the Jazz Institut Berlin as an exchange student.

Elisabeth Lid Trøen | NorwayElisabeth Lid Trøen is a jazz saxophone player from Voss in Norway. She began studying jazz music at the age of sixteen at Voss Jazzskule, and in 2105 she earned her Bachelor’s degree in performing music from the internationally recognized jazz programme at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).

At a very early stage in her career, while still a student, she opened for UK Jazz pioneer Andy Sheppard with her World Expression ensemble. Since then she has been working as a professional musician, and has featured with bands such as the Bergen Big Band, NTNU Jazz Ensemble and Hatch She has also featured in her own quartet with Steinar Raknes, Erlend Slettevold and Erik Nylander.

SAXOPHONES

Basile Rosselet | SwitzerlandBasile Rosselet began his tenor saxophone studies at the Ecole de Jazz et de Musique Actuelle with Nicolas Masson in 2004, and continued his artistic development in 2008 in the pre-professional section under Stefano Saccon.

From 2010 onwards, he studied Jazz at the Haute école de musique de Lausanne (HEMU) and obtained his diploma in 2013. During this period, he enjoyed the guidance and tutelage of Robert Bonisolo.

Motivated by a strong desire to keep learning and evolving, Basile Rosselet completed a master’s degree in composition at HEMU (2103-15) where his main supervisors were Emil Spanyi for composition, and Matthieu Michel for instrument.

In 2016, he began a second master’s course in pedagogy at the jazz campus in Basel and perfected his playing with Domenic Landolf, Andy Scherrer and Mark Turner. Basile also released his first album as leader and composer. Voyelles was made with with his band 3x3 on the QFTF label, which is based in Berlin.

Jakub Cirkl | Czech RepublicJakub Cirkl is a Czech saxophonist based in Prague. He studied saxophone at the School of Arts, where he also started playing in local bands. In 2010, he commenced studies at the College of Jaroslav Jezek ( JJ Conservatory) under course leaders Stepan Markovic and Rostislav Fras. He also gained experience playing with the College Big Band, originally called the Prague JJ Conservatory Big Band.

This big band is a well-known ensemble that has performed in many countries including Germany, Slovenia, Italy and Holland. The band was placed second in 2015, and won third place in 2016 at Meer Jazz Festival. Jakub Cirkl was an active member of this band for four years, and played alto and baritone saxophone at all concerts and competitions.

Jakub Cirkl currently features with the Prague Big Band led by Milan Svoboda and, since September 2016 he has been studying at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. Jakub also plays with Bohemia Big Band, the Přemek Tomsicek Sextet, the Empyrean Sextet and the Golden Big Bandin Prague.

TRUMPETS

Darko Sedak Benčič | CroatiaDarko began playing trumpet aged nine, and started to express a passion for jazz music at high school where he became familiar with the work of eminent trumpet masters such as Louis Armstrong, Clifford Brown, Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis.

In 2006, he passed an audition at Kunst Universitat in Graz, and for thenext four years he studied jazz under Professor Edvard Holntaner. He also took the opportunity to attend many workshops featuring artists such as Randy Brecker, Dave Liebman, Jim McNeely, Michael Abene and Peter Erskine.

Darko Benčič became a regular member of HGM Jazz Orchestra in Zagreb under conductor Sigi Feigl, and obtained valuable professional experience with the Croatian Radio and Television Orchestra. In October 2011,Benčič became a member of the Backyard Jazz Orchestra in Cologne, and also joined the Hamlet Fiorellis Latin Jazz Ensemble. In 2013, he completed his studies for a master’s degree at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz. Darko Sedak Benčič is currently concert master/1st trumpeter with the Slovenian Radio and Television Big Band.

Alexander Kranabetter | AustriaAlexander Kranabetter is an Austrian trumpet player and composer.He studied jazz and classical trumpet at the Anton Bruckner University in Linz, and later moved to Vienna where he currently works as a freelance musician.

Alexander has played in a variety of different bands and projects, including the quartet Month of Sundays, the electro pop ensemble Iris Electrum, and a free improvisation sextet. He is a recipient of the Next Generation Jazz Award, and is now recognized as one of the most versatile artists on the Viennese and Austrian music scene.

Alexander is a scholarship holder of the Start Stipendium 2016 for Music and Performing Arts awarded by the Austrian Ministry of Culture.

Nick Klaman | SwedenNick Klaman is a young jazz trumpeter and composer who has made an early mark on the Swedish jazz scene, and has already toured extensively in Europe. He is very much a working musician and has played in Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and in Poland, where audiences have been especially enthusiastic.

He obtained a BA in jazz performance from the Royal College of Music (RCM) in Stockholm, and is currently in his last year of the Master’s Jazz Performance programme, also at the RCM in Stockholm. Over the years, he has studied with Swedish trumpeter Lasse Lindgren, American trumpeter Matthew Simon and Swedish saxophonist Joakim Milder, among many others.

In May 2016, he released his debut album Devil’s Dance on his own record label with his regular group the Nick Klaman Quintet.

TROMBONES

Richard Šanda | Czech RepublicRichard Šanda gained valuable early performing experience firstly in Chrudim, where he played in local big bands, and later performing throughout the Pardubice region.

In 2013, he relocated to Prague in order to study music at the Jaroslav Jezek Conservatory under Premysl Tomsicek and Stepan Janousek. He alsobecame a regular performer on the Prague jazz scene, playing in the Czech Radio Big Band, the Concept Art Orchestra and the big band VOS KJJ led by Milan Svoboda.

Richard subsequently featured on an album by Concept Art Orchestra, which was awarded Jazz Album of the Year 2015 by Czech Radio. It also won an ‘Andel’ (Angel) award in the Jazz Album of the Year category, awarded by Czech Academy of Popular Music.

He currently studies at the JAMU Jazz Academy in Brno with Jan Jirucha.In July 2016, he took the stage with the Visegrad Jazz Orchestra, which brings together the best musicians from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland.

Richard continues to perform regularly with some of the best Czech jazz musicians currently active in European jazz.

Luca Spiler | FranceLuca Spiler is a Franco-Australian Trombonist, currently in his final Masters year at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Music et Danse de Paris (CNSMDP). He previously completed his a Bachelor of Jazz degree at the Conservatory of Adelaide, South Australia.

During his studies, Luca worked in several bands on the Adelaide scene including The Mike Stewart Big Band, which held a monthly residency and recorded their debut album in 2008; and The Shaolin Afronauts, with whom he recorded two albums in two years.

Luca Spiler has travelled extensively with his music, performing in London, Italy, Switzerland, France, and has twice attended the prestigious International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE) conference in New York.

He has played with many jazz greats such as Bob Mintzer, George Garzone, Billy Hart, John Riley, Ben Monder and Ralph Alessi. More recently, Luca was invited to perform with the Orchestre National de Jazz (ONJ) as part of the Jazz à la Villette 2016 festival.

TROMBONES

Kosta Vukasinovic | SerbiaKosta Vukasinovic studied music at elementary and high school level from the age of thirteen. He later studied classical trombone at the music academy in Novi Sad.

Kosta played in Novi Sad Big Band and other small ensembles before relocating to Belgrade, where he played in the Belgrade Radio big band. There, he shared the stage with guest soloists such as Dusko Gojkovic, Danny Grisett, Ilja Reijngoud, Gregory Hutchinson and Lee Konitz.

Kosta Vukasinovic has played at several jazz festivals in Serbia, and featured with the East-West Big Band on two occasions, touring with them in Germany and the Czech Republic.

Kristoffer Siggstedt | SwedenKristoffer grew up in a musical household in Söderhamn, Sweden and began playing the trombone as a seven year-old, and later turned his attention to the tuba and bass trombone. He attended the Royal College of Music in Stockholm where he studied classical music for five years. He also had the opportunity to attend classes in the jazz department under Prof. Sven-Eric Ericsson, Prof. Michael Lind, Bertil Strandberg, Johan Hörlén and Patrik Skog.

He is a sought-after freelance musician, and has played for the Norrbotten Big Band, the Stockholm Jazz Orchestra, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Kristoffer Siggstedt is currently based in Stockholm, and moves freely between the classical milieu and the big band scene in Sweden.

GUITAR

Rob Luft | UKRob Luft is an award-winning musician from London who has been described as one of the UK’s most gifted young guitarists. He was recently awarded the Kenny Wheeler Jazz Prize 2016, which presented annually by The Royal Academy of Music and Edition Records. Also in 2016, he won the 2nd Place Prize at the Montreux Jazz Guitar Competition.

As a student at The Royal Academy of Music in London he co-founded the tango quintet Deco Ensemble, with whom he has released the album Encuentro (2015), which features the music of Argentinian composers such as Astor Piazzolla.

Rob has performed throughout Europe with this group including performances at The National Philharmonic in Warsaw, The Purcell Room in London, the Salle Cortot in Paris, the Ministry of Culture in Bratislava, and the Palazzo Brancaccio in Rome. Other concert highlights include performances with artists such Django Bates, Loose Tubes, Eddie Parker’s Mister Vertigo, Stan Sulzmann and Gregory Porter.

PIANO

Peter Johnstone | UKGlasgow-born pianist/composer Peter Johnstone burst onto the scene as the BBC Young Scottish Jazz Musician of the Year in 2012, and was subsequently nominated to take part in the coveted Yamaha Jazz Scholars project in 2013.

Since he graduated from the Jazz Course at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS), he has worked in a variety of ensembles including his own trio featuring bassist Brodie Jarvie and drummer John Lowrie; the Ben McDonald Organ Trio; the Paul Towndrow Organ Trio; and more recently, The Scottish National Jazz Orchestra.

Peter Johnstone has appeared as a leader and sideman at the London Jazz Festival, Edinburgh Jazz Festival and the Oslo Jazz Festival, and recently completed UK and European tours with the acclaimed Glasgow-based quartet Square One.

Peter is also an accomplished classical pianist. In 2016, he completed a master’s degree at the RCS, and is currently working towards a doctorate in piano performance.

ACOUSTIC BASS

Miha Koren | SloveniaMiha Koren is a well-established Slovenian bassist who completed his masters studies at the University of Music and Dramatic Arts in Graz, where, in 2015, he majored in jazz double bass. In addition to that, he also attended an international workshop at Centrum in Port Townsend, (Washington State) with mentors such as John Clayton, David Wong, Martin Wind, Benny Green and Matt Wilson.

Since then, Miha has been involved in many acclaimed projects in his home country and abroad. He has performed at many international festivals such as Port Townsend Jazz Festival, Graz Jazz Nacht and Festival Exit in Serbia. His collaborations include work with acclaimed musicians such Gregory Hutchinson, Femi Temowo, Jan Sturiale, Melissa Aldana, Dick Oats, Dave Liebman, and Renato Chicco.

Miha has recorded and composed music for film and theater, and participated in many studio recordings for Big Band RTV Slovenija, Leeloojamais and Mike Ievtushenko. Miha also received the international Downbeat Student Award 2014 for the best live performance of the year.

DRUMS

Giacomo Reggiani | ItalyGiacomo Reggiani is a Swiss-based drummer from Bern who grew up in Lugano in a musical family. He began taking drums lessons at the age of five at the conservatoire in Lugano, where he studied classical percussions till the age of eighteen.

On graduation, he moved to New York where he attended the Elective Intensive Program at the Drummer’s Collective School. In 2009, Giacomo returned to Switzerland and began his education in Jazz music at the Haute école de musique de Lausanne (HEMU), where he successfully completed his Bachelor’s degree, and later his Master’s degree in music performance.

In 2013, Giacomo Reggiani won a scholarship from the Foundation Friedl’wald, and in the same year his TreMeandy trio was voted the best diploma project at HEMU. This award enabled him to tour Switzerland as part of the DKSJ Exchange Nights Festival.

Giacomo will represent Ticino during the Jazz Diagonales Festival 2017, and Festival Estonia Ticino. He is currently finishing a Master’s Degree in pedagogy at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZhdK), and continues to perform with TreMeandy as a leader, and with others as a sideman.

VOCALS

Irini Arabatzi | GreeceIrini Arabatzi is a twenty-five year old jazz singer from Greece. She was raised in Brussels, but returned to Athens at the age of eighteen where she completed a degree in Law. Nevertheless, music has always been her passion. She began playing classical piano from the age of six up to the age of eighteen when she discovered jazz and became inspired by its improvisational qualities

Irini studied jazz vocal improvisation at the Athenaeum Conservatory in Athens and performed in various venues and festivals all over Greece with many renowned jazz musicians. She also co-founded the jazz vocal group Les Trois Femmes, and the world vocal group Fonés.

She was also a member of the cast of two musical theatre productions, West Side Story at the Athens Concert Hall, and Shrek at the National Theatre of Greece. She is currently studying for her Master’s degree in jazz performance at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

Alexandra Ridout | UKAlexandra Ridout is a student at the Purcell School and Royal Academy of Music Junior Department, and recently won the BBC Young Musician Jazz Award for 2016.

She has performed as principal trumpet with the Purcell School Orchestra at Queen Elizabeth Hall, and featured on Handel’s Messiah with Brandenburg Sinfonia at St Martin in the Fields. Alexandra has also performed at leading venues including Pizza Express Soho and at the Cadogan Hall as part of the EFG London Jazz Festival Kenny Wheeler Tribute.

She appeared as a special guest with Nerija at The Elgar Room at The Royal Albert Hall, and with Peter King, Mornington Lockett, Dave O’Higgins and Julian Joseph at the 606 Club’s 40th birthday celebrations.

Other notable appearances include performing at a commemoration of Stan Tracey’s music at the House of Commons, and leading her quintet at the 2016 Manchester Jazz Festival. Alexandra also performs regularly with the Ridouts, featuring her father Mark on guitar, brother Tom on sax and Flo Moore on bass.

Kenny Wheeler (1930-2014)

Kenny Wheeler was a Canadian trumpeter, flugel-horn player and composer who moved permanently to the UK in 1950, and subsequently became a leading figure in British jazz.

As a youngster, Wheeler grew up listening primarily to artists such as Tommy Dorsey and Glenn Miller, and took up the cornet while still at school. By the time he had reached his late teens, he was studying harmony and counterpoint at the Royal Conservatory in Toronto.

He relocated to the UK mainly to pursue a career in jazz and, following a stint with Buddy Featherstonehaugh’s quintet in the late 1950’s, he began a fruitful, decade-long association with John Dankworth.

Kenny Wheeler is especially noted for his affinity with highly melodic jazz composed for large ensembles. His career has also featured excursions into bebop, free improvisation, avant-garde and fusion. Nevertheless, his most enduring work has been informed by a deep understanding of harmonic relationships.

As a trumpeter, his principal influences were Roy Eldridge, Buck Clayton, Clifford Brown and Art Farmer. However, his interest in the work of German composer Paul Hindemith, and his studies with Richard Rodney Bennett and Kenton arranger Bill Russo also informed Wheeler’s approach to composition.

Throughout his career, Kenny Wheeler composed and played in many adventurous configurations both large and small as a leader, collaborator and sideman. His legacy of remarkable recordings began with Windmill Tilter (1969) featuring Dankworth’s band, and continued with Song for Someone (1973) and Gnu High (1975). A string of successful albums for ECM spawned highlights such as Deer Wan (1977) with Jan Garbarek, and Double Double You (1984), which featured Mike Brecker.

In all, Kenny Wheeler made twenty-four albums as a leader, but a career high came with Music for Large and Small Ensembles (1990), which includes his famous work, the Sweet Time Suite.

Kenny was also noted for iconoclastic projects such as the Spontaneous Music Ensemble, the United Jazz + Rock Ensemble, the exploratory Azimuth, and bassist Dave Holland’s influential small groups. He was still making evocative music in his final years with The Long Waiting (2011), and made his last album in 2013 for ECM at the Abbey Road studios in London.

The Kenny Wheeler Jazz Prize is awarded each year to a young artist who demonstrates excellence in both performance and composition The winner is selected from all graduating jazz musicians at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where Kenny Wheeler’s entire composing archive iscurrently held.

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