DARKMANS [work for Jazz Orchestra/Big Band]

A brief post today to share with you new footage of a recent piece I wrote for Jazz Orchestra/Big Band, which was performed in a concert of my pieces at the David Mossman Jazz Orchestra at the Vortex Jazz Club in London in April 2019.

The piece is called DARKMANS, which is an obscure English word for "night-time", used by thieves in the 18th Century, and possibly before. It's also the title of a strange and unsettling 2007 Booker-nominated novel by Nicola Barker which blurs the lines between history, reality and fantasy. I recommend it.

I assembled a band of friends and colleagues for this performance, in which we played 9 of my pieces. We didn't have a lot of rehearsal time, so this is a bit rough and ready in places, but it features a mighty, roaring solo from tenor saxophonist Riley Stone-Lonergan, along with powerfully creative drummer Will Glaser, and later a mysterious, haunting passage featuring tuba player Ed Ashby. I hope you enjoy it. Your face may melt.