Spirit of Light
Spirit of Light is a celebration in music and song that combines the sacred and the secular in an illuminating new work composed by Tommy Smith. Inspired by the seasonal iconography of the Star, Three Kings, Christmas Night, Winter Snow and the dawning of Christmas Day…
ALBA: Songs of Scotland
Join the internationally acclaimed Scottish National Jazz Orchestra, director Tommy Smith, and special guest, the inimitable Eddi Reader at @YstadFestival in Sweden,
EIFF: A 5* Review for Electric Contact: A Jazz Tribute to Tom McGrath
Three Thomases – Tom, Tommie and Tam – got the Edinburgh International Film Festival’s retrospective tribute to the late, great Tom McGrath off to a belter of a start on Friday night. Tom McGrath, himself, was the source of the words and the inspiration for the tunes – all were compositions by jazz artistes he […]
A Tribute to Buddy Rich
The SNJO celebrates the centenary of explosive jazz drummer and bandleader Buddy Rich in a special concert for the 2017 Glasgow Jazz Festival featuring Alyn Cosker.
The Herald: A 5* Review for SNJO’s Porgy & Bess and Sketches of Spain
There will be jazz orchestra concerts that create much bigger musical storms and specifically Scottish National Jazz Orchestra concerts that feature more familiar instrumentation. This one, though, has to go down as particularly special. It was the sort of occasion that illustrates how there’s no substitute for being in the room where and when the […]
Porgy & Bess and Sketches of Spain: a 5* Review
The Scottish National Jazz Orchestra stopped off at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh tonight as part of an all too short performance schedule performing “Sketches of Spain” and “Porgy & Bess”. These two visionary collaborations between Miles Davis and Gil Evans marked a watershed point in the critics’ and public’s perception of Jazz as a […]
In the Spirit of Django
The SNJO is delighted to welcome renowned jazz guitarist Martin Taylor to perform the music of Django Reinhardt, one of the most perennially popular figures in jazz.
SNJO prepare to take on Miles Davis’ interpretations of jazz classics
Porgy and Bess / Sketches of Spain: A concert preview. The SNJO covered both albums with Gerard Presencer early in its history. This time around, the now internationally celebrated orchestra features another guest trumpeter, plus a stalwart of their own, with Sketches being fronted by the acclaimed young player Laura Jurd, currently a BBC New […]
Beauty and the Beast: A great CD Review from Dan McClenaghan for All About jazz
A great CD Review from Dan McClenaghan for All About jazz The Scottish National Jazz Orchestra, SNJO, under the leadership of saxophonist Tommy Smith, has proven itself to be one of the premier large ensemble outfits out there.
Mancini and Mandel: 5* Review
The Scottish National Jazz Orchestra, playing the songs of Mancini and Mandel featuring Joe Locke and Kenny Washington, brought a slice of classic Hollywood film music to The Queen’s Hall in Edinburgh for this show.
