National Youth Jazz Orchestra BBC Proms

Tonight, something very special, as we welcome the National youth Jazz Orchestra to the BBC Proms

with a programme which spans the decades,

from classics by Duke Ellington to brand-new BBC Proms commissions.

NYJO, as it's known,

was founded in 1965 and has been a real springboard in the careers

of some great British jazz musicians, including the trumpeter Guy Barker

and the much missed singer-songwriter Amy Whitehouse.

So tonight, on this stage,

a new generation of young British jazz musicians.

The Royal Albert Hall is rapidly filling up,

the lights are low, veteran jazzers alongside the regular crowd,

as we welcome NYJO to the BBC Proms.

Well, the National youth Jazz Orchestra really are

one of this nation's great musical ensembles.

They're going to be on stage in a couple of minutes' time.

First of all, in the green room at the Royal Albert Hall,

I'm thrilled to be joined by two members of the current line-up,

Rob Luft, who plays guitar, and Anna Drysdale, who plays horn.

Rob, what do you get out of being a member of NYJO?

Well, I've been a member of the band for a number of years now

and I've gained so much from the musical director,

Mark Armstrong, who has really helped me as a soloist

as well as developing several areas of my personal musicianship.

-You were the baby of the band for a long time.

-Yes, I was.

I've been in the band for nearly three years now and I'm only 18, so

I've received quite a lot of hassle since I first joined the band, yeah.

Anna, we're getting a great range of repertoire spanning, you know, 60 years of jazz tonight.

Exactly. We're opening up with Duke Ellington's Rockin' In Rhythm

and sort of we go all the way through

to compositions by existing band members

and also an amazing new commission from Tim Garland, which is really, really exciting.

We're also doing that new commission with a drummer called Mark Mondesir,

who is...just a fantastic player, so interesting, so expressive and great fun to play with.

I think we're all really looking forward to that.

So here's NYJO back at the Proms,

performing in the great space that is the Royal Albert Hall.

-What's it going to be like?

-Well, historically it's obviously very exciting.

There's, you know, a huge number of concerts

which I've seen on television since I was very young.

I've always followed the Proms every summer on television.

-It's very exciting to be a part of that this year.

-Anna?

It's always just a huge audience, an electrifying atmosphere.

I go quite often as an audience member and it's exciting enough then.

Going as a performer, I can only assume, is going to top that.

Well, that audience is crying out for you, so we should let you go.

Thank you both very much indeed.

We're going to hand over now to the man who's going to run things on stage,

the music director of NYJO, himself a former trumpet player in the ensemble.

He's going to be introducing the programme, and the soloists as well, as well as conducting.

Mark Armstrong with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra at the BBC Proms!

# We are

# We are

# Oh, we got

# Oh, we got

# Oh, we got. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

APPLAUSE

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Thank you. Chris Eldred at the piano. APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

Chris Whiter on the clarinet. APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

Callum Au on the trombone. APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

And from the stratosphere, Louis Dowdeswell on the trumpet. APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

Thank you. Well, it's a great honour to be playing at the Proms.

Duke Ellington once said,

"There are two kinds of music, good music...and the other kind."

Tonight we want to present to you some of the variety within jazz

that I think he's hinting at.

You just heard Ellington's 1960s arrangement of Rockin' In Rhythm.

Next we play two more modern pieces, made in Great Britain

by composers who add some European flavour to the music.

We hope you enjoy Know Where You Are,

from Kenny Wheeler's fantastic Sweet Time Suite.

But first, Hush by Nikki Iles, commissioned by NYJO

for our 45th-anniversary appearance at Ronnie Scott's.

APPLAUSE

APPLAUSE

# Oh-oh-oh

# Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh

# Oh-oh

# Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh

# Oh-oh-oh-oh

# Ah-ah-ah Ah-ah-ha-ha-ah

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

OK, we're going to go back to New York now, shortly to play another 1960s classic

from the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Big Band of Jerome Richardson's The Groove Merchant.

We're going to hear from a number of our soloists in that piece as well as the whole of the sax section,

but first we celebrate and commemorate bebop legend Thelonious Monk,

in the 30th anniversary of his passing, with a new arrangement of Round Midnight.

APPLAUSE

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

APPLAUSE

APPLAUSE AND WHOOPING

APPLAUSE

APPLAUSE

Thank you!

Thank you. NYJO has always been a stepping stone into professional jazz and commercial music for our players,

but we also have a huge library of original compositions

and arrangements written by band members.

The next three pieces represent this important part of our work,

as well as being really great.

Callum Au's take on another Ellington favourite features Phil Meadows

on alto sax and our percussion section, Scott Chapman on drums,

and Felix Higginbottom on everything else...!

And you're going to hear from Scott again

in NYJO alumnus Tom Stone's Return Flight,

as well as Tom Dennis on flugelhorn and Riley Stone-Lonergan on tenor sax.

But first, our baritone saxophonist Chris Whiter -

CHEERING ..there he is, with fans in -

takes us on a journey from the jungle to the city,

also symbolising how this band has evolved over the last few years,

in his composition, The Change.

APPLAUSE AND WHISTLING

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

APPLAUSE

APPLAUSE

APPLAUSE

APPLAUSE

APPLAUSE

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Thank you very much. So to conclude tonight's concert, we have a brand-new Proms commission.

Tim Garland previously wrote a piece for us

for our 45th-anniversary appearance at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club.

We're delighted to welcome Tim to the stage as well as Mark Mondesir on drums.

Here are Tim and Mark featured in Tim's composition Agro Alegria.

APPLAUSE

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

The National Youth Jazz Orchestra performing saxophonist Tim Garland's BBC Proms commission

Agro Alegria at the Royal Albert Hall.

Your guide this evening has been the music director of NYJO, Mark Armstrong.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Do you want another one?

-AUDIENCE:

-Yes.

Sorry. Do you want another one?

-AUDIENCE:

-Yes.

OK. Well, I'm going to invite Emma out to sing a song for you.

Would you like to come and do that, Emma?

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

-What would you like to sing?

-I don't know. You choose, Mark.

-Shall we do Feelin' Good?

-Go on then.

-Fancy that? OK.

Emma's going to sing Feelin' Good for you.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

# Birds flyin' high

# You know how I feel

# Sun in the sky

# You know how I feel

# Reeds driftin' on by

# You know how I feel

# It's a new dawn

# It's a new day

# It's a new life

# For me

# And I'm feeling good

AUDIENCE CLAPS ALONG

# Fish in the sea

# You know how I feel

# River running free

# You know how I feel

# Blossom on the tree

# You know how I feel

# It's a new dawn

# It's a new day

# It's a new life

# For me

# And I'm feeling good

# Fish in the sea

# You know how I feel

# River runnin' free

# You know how I feel

# Blossom on the tree

# Well, you know how I feel

# Cos it's a new dawn

# It's a new day

# It's a new life

# For me

# And I'm feelin' good

# Hmmm, I'm feelin' good

# So the dragonfly out in the sun

# You know what I mean

# Butterflies all havin' fun

# You know what I mean

# Sleep in peace when day is done

# That's what I mean

# And this old world is a new world

# And a bold world

# For me

# Oh

# Stars when they shine

# You know how I feel

# Scent of the pine

# You know how I feel

# Freedom is mine

# And that's how I feel

# Cos it's a new dawn

# It's a new day

# It's a new life

# It's a new dawn

# It's a new day

# It's a new life

# It's a new dawn

# It's a new day

# It's a new life

# For me

# And I'm feelin' good

# I am feelin' so good

# You know that I'm feelin', feelin' so good

# Ohhhh... #

Rob!

Rob Luft!

# I am feelin' good

# You know that I am feelin' so good

# Hey, I am feelin' so good now

SHE SCATS

# I'm feelin' good

# Good, good

# I am feelin' good

# And I'm feelin' good. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Emma Smith! Emma Smith!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Well, that's it for tonight.

Tomorrow BBC Two is at the Proms for a colourful

celebration of music from both the Americas

as the Sao Paolo Symphony Orchestra make their Proms debut under chief conductor Marin Alsop.

A programme that includes Dvorak's New World Symphony.

BBC Four will be back at the Proms next Thursday, when another group

of young musicians take to the stage as the National Youth Orchestra

perform Messiaen's Turangalila Symphony.

But for now from all the BBC Proms team

here at the Royal Albert Hall, goodnight to you.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd