Dave Holland, Jazz Artist In Residence at the Royal Academy Of Music Photo from Dave Holland’s website

Peter Bacon reports:

Three very different big band experiences are in the what’s on schedule at the Royal Academy of Music over the next few months.

The Academy Band has what director Nick Smart identifies as “a very special week” coming up at the beginning of next month, culminating in a performance of the band with their close associates: Jazz Artist In Residence Dave Holland on double bass and Visiting Professor of Jazz Chris Potter on saxophones.

This concert is one of the inaugural events in the new Susie Sainsbury Theatre at 7.30pm on Friday 5 October, and will feature large-scale works by both musicians including the UK premiere of Dave Holland’s recent project with the Frankfurt Radio Big Band and new arrangements by Jim McNeely. The evening will also provide the opportunity to present Dave Holland with Honorary Membership of the Royal Academy of Music.

Then, during the EFG London Jazz Festival the Academy Band will be playing music with a South African theme to mark the 10th anniversary of the death of Miriam Makeba.

Nick Smart explained: “It is with a great South African singer I worked with in Grahamstown (South Africa) a few years ago, she’s based in Belgium and is called Tutu Puoane. She did an amazing tribute to Miriam Makebe with the Brussels Jazz Orchestra and we’re playing a set of that music in the Clore Ballroom ahead of the Hugh Masekela memorial gig…”

The Clore Ballroom, South Bank Centre concert is at 6pm on Sunday 18 November. The Masekela celebration, The Boy’s Doin’ It, is in the Royal Festival Hall at 7pm that same evening.

Finally, for all the Steely Dan fans out there, if you can’t get tickets for the boys themselves in late February, or even if you can, there is the joy of the Steely Dan Big Band with all Reuben Fowler’s new arrangements and featuring Hamish Stuart. That’s on 1 February 2019 in the Susie Sainsbury Theatre, though not yet on the RAM website.

LINK: Royal Academy of Music What’s On