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"A monumental evening..." - Emma Rawicz with Strictly Smokin' Big Band

"A monumental evening..." - Emma Rawicz with Strictly Smokin' Big Band

Michael Lamb

Feb 252 min read

Updated: 5 days ago

Friday 21st February 2025

The Glasshouse, Gateshead

📝 Review: Bebop Spoken Here | 📸 Photographs: Stephen Beecroft

A monumental evening that will surely live long in the memory of those fortunate to be present on an evening of astounding, adventurous and forward looking music.

A landmark in the advancement of big band jazz.

SSBB opened with Johnny Richards' Two Cultures, an atonal piece originally written for Stan Kenton. It was a good starting point and the band's new lineup was definitely up for it. This was to be a night to remember - a night where atonality was the norm.

Dave McKeague now appears to be the band's regular drummer and there are few who can power a big band like he does. Niall Armstrong occupied the baritone chair, Sue Ferris played flute exclusively and Alice Grace joined the section using her voice instrumentally.

The evening's star guest, Emma Rawicz, was warmly greeted by the audience who applauded respectfully whilst at the same time wondering if this 23-year-old saxophonist really was as outstanding a musician as word would have it? She was! - Was she not!

From the moment Emma directed the musicians on her own Portrait of Today we were hooked and when she began blowing tenor the earth began to move and Jupiter aligned with Mars and the universe opened up to those ready to take the celestial voyage.

It was challenging, at times demanding on both players and listeners, but ultimately worth it. The whole first set left me breathless as indeed did the complete concert.

Needless to say, SSBB were up for it handling the material with much aplomb. Parnaby and Kurgi-Smith dealing with the trombone solos, the saxes popping up and down, the soprano joust 'twixt Emma and Steve Summers on, I think, Waldeinsamkeit will long stay in the memory, as will Michael Lamb's occasional flights, not to mention his organisational qualities in putting it all together, the rhythm section and, of course, Alice.

Apart from expanding the section with her voice she also excelled solowise on Middle Ground, Particles of Change and Joni Mitchell's Woodstock.

The evening's encore was the Gigi Gryce number Social Call made famous by Jon Hendricks with Cannonball Adderley. Although Alice sung it faster than I prefer it, it still worked helped by some sizzling solos from the saxes with Emma's tenor solo registering as just about as good as any tenor solo I've ever heard! All combined, including of course Emma's original compositions and arrangements, to leave the audience with an unforgettable experience.

Having said that, not everyone stayed the distance. Some previously occupied seats were empty come the second set. This wasn't surprising as the premiere of Elgar's Cello Concerto suffered the same fate as did Bizet's opera Carmen and Ellington's Black, Brown and Beige Suite. However, the composers had the last laugh and, last night, so did the 99.999% who stayed and applauded vociferously.