The Tommy Smith Youth Jazz Orchestra: Autumn concerts

The Tommy Smith Youth Jazz Orchestra is once again delighted to return in a series of concerts with a new line up of endless talent, improvisational skills, exuberance and verve.

A Christmas Festival of Jazz

Enjoy this wonderful pre Christmas opportunity to relax and get into the festive spirit as the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra and the Tommy Smith Youth Jazz Orchestra bring you a double bill of fabulous swinging jazz. 

The Legend of Charlie Parker  

There can be little doubt that Charlie “ Yardbird” Parker changed the face of modern jazz. Parker grew up at a time when this amazing music was coming of age, and he came to personify many of its most provocative features.

Great Vibes with Mike Mainieri / SNJO

The Music of Steps Ahead: the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra with guest Mike Mainieri A review by Jim Gilchrist for the Scotsman ****                                                 Photos by Derek Clark Is it appropriate to describe a […]

Mike Mainieri steps up with the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra

“It’s quite a stretch,” says vibraphonist Mike Mainieri of his era-spanning career as a jazz musician. Mainieri is the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra’s latest guest as they take the music of the band he formed in the late 1970s, Steps – later Steps Ahead – on tour this month.

Brubeck: An Incredible Jazz Legacyfeat. John Nugent on alto saxophone

The familiar opening bars of Take Five were the soundtrack to sixties swing and mid-twentieth century cool. The tune composed by saxophonist Paul Desmond and from the million-selling Time Out album, made Dave Brubeck a household name, but also changed perceptions of jazz as a niche art form forever.  

The Jazz Legacy of Charles Mingus feat Arild Andersen

The Scottish National Jazz Orchestra (SNJO) is joined by master Norwegian bassist Arild Andersen to celebrate the life and work of a truly extraordinary jazz musician: the visionary bass player, bandleader and composer, Charles Mingus.

Music of Dave Brubeck: Herald Review

SNJO plays Brubeck, Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh Bill Dobbins’ admiration for the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra’s ability to move effortlessly between musical styles, expressed to the Herald ahead of this Dave Brubeck tribute, must have come into the pianist-arranger’s thoughts as he prepared the set-list. There were quite a few changes of direction here, all negotiated […]

International Jazz Day: SNJO Concert Music of Dave Brubeck – A Review

The Music of Dave Brubeck at Sage Gateshead April 30 2016 Scottish National Jazz Orchestra with special guests, Bill Dobbins (pno) and John Nugent (alto) Sage Gateshead’s contribution to International Jazz Day was just that – International! Two Americans and an assortment of Scots combining to pay tribute to the late legend that was Dave Brubeck.

Mike Stern meets the SNJO: A Review

**** The SNJO meets Mike Stern by Jim Gilchrist: The Scotsman, March 2016 – Review: Right from the inexorable forward-movement of Tumble Home, which opened the SNJO’s inspired collaboration with jazz-rock guitarist Mike Stern, the only thing to match the consistently high energy which informed the gig was Stern’s perpetually expansive grin.