National Youth Jazz Orchestra of Scotland featuring Yazz Ahmed, The MAC, Belfast

If you came expecting ‘The Chicken’ etc, then you were at the wrong gig.

This was a night for original music, superbly played by this lively and talented outfit under the leadership of Andrew Bain and Malcolm Edmonstone.

The first half was a tribute to two much-loved Scottish musicians who died recently — the great tenor player Duncan Lamont and trombonist Rick Taylor (Isle of Skye by way of Newcastle-upon-Tyne). Both made a significant contribution to the orchestra’s work over the years and the set included several of their compositions, including parts of Lamont’s ‘Carnival of the Animals’ which featured some fine reed section work. There are some excellent soloists in this band — in fact everybody gets a turn. No names were given but when next you see them look out for an impressive soprano saxophone player.

After the jazz came the Yazz — namely Yazz Ahmed [pictured: press shot]. The British-Bahraini trumpet and flugelhorn player is also recognised for her original compositions. With a superb tone which she supplements by heavy echo and reverb effects, her whole sound has been described as a kind of psychedelic Arabic jazz. The orchestra shone once more, handling some tricky arrangements and driven by a powerful rhythm section.

Keith Baker

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From 2015. With Trio Libero augmented by guitarist Eivind Aarset from the Movements in Colour band Andy Sheppard spreads his band’s wings.

A studio album recorded in Lugano last year the saxophonist and double bassist Michel Benita’s tune ‘Tipping Point’ opens proceedings pensively, sax-soft, a ballad by some process of musical osmosis Benita’s pulsing bass the heartbeat of an album that goes on to include Elvis Costello’s world weary ‘I Want To Vanish’, a band-arranged Scots Gaelic traditional air treated in three different ways, a piece penned by the third Trio Libero member Sebastian Rochford as well as several Sheppard pieces including joyous closer ‘Looking for Ornette.’

There is a strong chamber jazz flavour on what is a highly introspective album, a sense of lontano provided at certain points by the wash of Aarset’s guitar. In its folkloric side translated imagistically by Sheppard the Quercus approach springs to mind for further comparison.

A very mournful album overall, the bass led-off ‘Origin of Species’ contemplative and calm the mood though much too subdued. Rochford’s ‘They Aren’t Perfect and Neither Am I’ allows Aarset more of a role while Sheppard is incredibly sensitive on soprano at the beginning of the second very brief but beautifully cleansing part of ‘Aoidh, Na Dean Cadal Idir’ (translated as ‘Aoidh, Don’t Sleep At All’). Heightened volume levels are a feature of the beginning of Sheppard’s ‘I See Your Eyes Before Me’ a tune that has a rawness to it, Aarset scything through expansive tenor saxophone lines the scope of this meta-ballad shifting ever elusively.

photo: Sara Da Costa

Stephen Graham

National Youth Jazz Orchestra of Scotland featuring Yazz Ahmed, The MAC, Belfast

Andy Sheppard quartet, Surrounded by Sea, ECM