Aaron Liddard – Sweet and Strong
Another stonking night this Tuesday at the Grey Horse in Kingston. The John Bird Big Band was at full strength and on blasting form. Among many highlights was this superb extended solo from Aaron Liddard.
A hugely enjoyable evening, but as is so often the case, the band outnumbered the audience. This really surprises me. I have seen big bands all over the world, and particularly in New York, where I caught the Mingus Big Band most Tuesdays, and the Vanguard BB on the few Sundays when I could. This collective is easily their equal, and it’s by a mile the best outright music in London on Tuesday nights, and the best value (it’s free) anywhere. If you are around and you like jazz or any kind of music really, you owe it to yourself to call by one Tuesday.
Aaron Liddard is a regular front row player – and just blew his heart out this evening. He has played with an impressive roster of people including Amy Winehouse and Prince (all the JB BB lineup are top level pros) and you can find out more about him here. For now however, just enjoy. If the streaming version doesn’t work, you can download the file (130Mb) by right clicking on this link and choosing ‘save link as’. The tune is “If I could”
by Pat Metheny, arranged for big band by Bob Curnow.
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