Conductor: Callum Au
As the performance opens with Bandwagon Blues, the Kings Place Jazz Orchestra (KPJO), formed in 2025 and featuring hand-picked top-tier musicians, shows off its impressive chops. With remarkable tightness and high-quality solos, the tone is set for a performance of sheer musicianship. After the first piece, musical director and conductor Callum Au, a skilled arranger and trombonist, reminds us that big band music is not a thing of the past, and we believe it.
In Count Basie’s version of Don Gibson’s I Can’t Stop Loving You, the signature riffs leave space for both Daniel Higham and Au to grace us with some incredible trombone solos, and we see the full spectrum of brass colours provided by the plunger mute. The band follows with a few Duke Ellington classics, and the delightful mix of timbres in Mood Indigo remind us of the range that is possible in big band, with the trumpets, trombones and saxophones switching from sharp and snappy to warm and ethereal (notably with Simon Marsh’s dreamy clarinet solo).
We then return to more upbeat dancing repertoire with Cotton Tail, again featuring two more incredible solos by Sam Mayne (saxophone) and Mark Armstrong (trumpet). Switching things up with Boyd Meets Stravinsky, the rhythm section is highlighted with an artful drum solo by Luke Tomlinson, as pieces move towards more contemporary works. Though sometimes the lower saxophones struggle to be heard, this is high-quality music, and it is hard to think anything less when musicians bring overwhelming technical skill to their solos while maintaining such musicality.
The second half, led by Scottish saxophonist Matt Carmichael, is part of the KPJO’s aim to feature rising young artists, and Carmichael’s own compositions bring touches of Scottish traditional music to the ensemble. As highlighted by Au, the transition may not be such a big leap, as American big band music is also based on its own traditional folk songs. Carmichael’s tones are warm and fuzzy, and the nature of the band (now including violinist Dominic Ingham and flutes instead of saxophones) transforms completely: almost messy, the layers of sound no longer carry the strong core structure heard in the first half.
Carmichael’s pieces play heavily on the interaction between fiddle and saxophone, thus leaning into the traditional music feel, while the rhythm is provided mainly by piano (accomplished and versatile Fergus McCreadie), bass (Nick Walsh) and drums, leaving the guitar on the sidelines. We hear the repetition of folky riffs, notably in Flood Lines, beautiful and melodic, and peppered with ghostly effects. The music is atmospheric, and it makes one wonder if there is really an advantage in arranging for such a large ensemble, as even Carmichael’s sound is ephemeral. Interestingly, it is in the encore, Au’s own Swipe Right, which brings back the big band quality from the first half, that we finally get to hear Carmichael’s instrumental talent stand out from the mass.
Leaving the concert hall, the blend of both sharp and soft sticks with you, and on a lovely Sunday afternoon, it is wonderful to hear music both old and new being played together.
Reviewed on 20 September 2026
