Back to blighty and bloggery and all that…and catching up with news:

I’ve just spoken to a musician friend completely who was blown out by hearing the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (above) playing to an enthusiastic packed house at the Barbican last night –

He tells me about his highlights:

– hearing the great Joe Temperley on bass clarinet with Dan Nimmer playing Duke Ellington’s Single Petal of a Rose as a duet

-trombonist Elliott Mason’s parents (from Norwich) getting singled out by spotlight for their own applause

-an astonishing trumpet section, including Wynton Marsalis himself, all trying to outvie each other in everything

-Ted Nash on alto in superb form

-great through-composed arrangements- mostly Latin/Spanish -by Wynton Marsalis and Chingo Dominguez

-plus the general presentation values: the suits, the proper bowing to the audience, all helping the sense of occasion

The Barbican also put out a press release with a lot more details of the JALC orchestra education programme , which will happen both in 2010 and Olympic year 2012. Jazzwise’s piece is here.

I’m just SO hacked off not to have got to the gig!….a blocked runway at Gatwick kept me from it….

Aw.