Main Performers | Iain Ballamy - saxophone, Liane Carroll - piano, vocal, Malcolm Edmonstone - piano, music director |
Orchestra or Band | National Youth Jazz Orchestra of Scotland (NYJOS) |
Set List | Series of miniatures, arr. Malcolm Edmonstone (Iain Ballamy), 'Such Sweet Thunder' from Shakespeare Suite, Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn (National Youth Jazz Orchestra of Scotland), 'Witchcraft' (Liane Carroll), 'You've Got a Friend' (Liane Carroll) |
Performance Notes | The weekend of Scottish ensembles continues with a visit from the National Youth Jazz Orchestra of Scotland, whose Late Night Prom marks the Shakespeare anniversary with Duke Ellingtons jazz tribute to the Bard, Such Sweet Thunder. With instruments taking the roles of actors, Ellingtons piece broke new ground when it appeared in 1957 as part of a 12-part Shakespeare-themed album, and it still feels entirely fresh today. The NYJOS welcomes back previous collaborators saxophonist Iain Ballamy performing some of his compositions such as All Men Amen and Floater along with pianist and vocalist Liane Carroll to perform a series of arrangements by Malcolm Edmonstone, including songs made popular by Frank Sinatra, The Beatles, Carole King and others.
Proms debuts of all performers, except Andrew Bain.
One of the series of miniatures played by Balamy was a piece inviting the audience to imagine a love letter sung by a monkey to Emmeline Pankhurst.
"This concert...was a triumph. If anyone doubted that jazz is a universal language, the sight of a young saxophonist who looked like an extra from a Harry Potter film channelling the spirit of Johnny Hodges supplied an emphatic response" (The Times, 9 August 2016) |
Related Archival Material | Proms Guide (RAHE/1/2016/50), Programme (RAHE/1/2016/77), Mini-Guide (RAHE/6/2016/45), Digital Photographs |