Concert review - Tribute to Gil Evans, Birmingham Town Hall
Gil Evans, without doubt the greatest arranger in modern jazz, would have been 100 this year, and a series of tributes to his work has been staged in Birmingham.
Tribute to Gil Evans
Birmingham Town Hall
Concert review by John?Watson
Gil Evans, without doubt the greatest arranger in modern jazz, would have been 100 this year, and a series of tributes to his work has been staged in Birmingham.
On Friday the Birmingham Conservatoire Jazz Orchestra, conducted by Jeremy Price, presented two of the greatest works associated with Evans, Birth Of The Cool and Sketches Of Spain.
The arrangements for both these works were created by Evans for legendary trumpeter Miles Davis, and are among the greatest of all jazz recordings.
In Birth Of The Cool, trumpeters Nick Dewhurst and Nick Dunham coped splendidly with the creative demands.
Trumpet soloist Percy Pursglove faced the greatest challenge, however – recreating the role of Miles Davis in the epic Sketches Of Spain and was was hugely impressive.
