DERBY JAZZ WEEK FINALE ALL-DAYER - LIVE AT DERBY DANCE CENTRE

After a week covering a great diversity of music from the jazz world, Derby Jazz embark on their final blow out for this festival. There's been plenty of talent with local connections, and today that is even more evident. This time, the emphasis is on younger performers - showcasing work from various educational projects Derby Jazz has helped organise.

The opening sessions feature Asterdale Primary School's own jazz choir - performing enthusiastically to a crowd of proud parents and friends. They're led by John Eno, who has been working over the last year with about 2000 children throughout the local area, introducing jazz music in popular and successful workshops. The Go Anywhere Band back them in a suite specially written for them by John, which they will be performing soon in a Festival of youth music in Birmingham. His amiable leadership has paid dividends here, with children obviously enjoying a form of music most wouldn't have experienced otherwise.

Moving in to the Dance Centre's intimate theatre it's time for Corey Mwamba and his Symbiosis Ensemble to perform 'Nature's Glory, Fancy's Child' - an ambitious suite inspired by the famous 18th century African-born Ignatius Sancho. Ambitious, not just because of the scale of the suite - 12 instruments and an extensive narrative element delivered by Corey - also because of potential for it to become an exercise in worthiness. Thankfully the musicians deliver with subtlety and power in equal measures - the line up includes two sax, violin, trombone, piano, two percussionists and Mwamba's own exuberant vibes. The spoken word elements takes the listener through Sancho's story - from being rescued as an orphaned child on a slave ship to his celebrated life as an educated gentleman, literary figure and renaissance man of Georgian England. The moods conjured by the music are spot on - from the initial darkness of the slave-ship, through to playful and swinging grooves of the growing boy and man, on to a superbly urgent piece encapsulating his letter witnessing an infamous anti-popery riot in London. Corey and the group pull this difficult opus off with finesse and great emotive power.

Back into the cafe, sax led trio Trois-Three-Tres perform a muscular and groove driven set. Throwing in stripped down Herbie Hancock and Jimi Hendrix tunes their funk-jazz is well appreciated.

Following on, another showcase of young talent - Creative Percussion Discussion comes out of a series of workshops, led mainly by Walt Shaw. The result is circle of children banging out complex rhythms in a series of pieces developed by them in collaboration with Walt and Zigahane Ntalemwa (also seen earlier in Corey Mwamba's band).

After an intermission we're back in the theatre for John Bailey's piano trio. Bailey is a star of the East Midlands Youth Jazz Orchestra, and makes an easy move into the smaller ensemble format here. Playing a number of standards - including tunes by Richard Rogers and Kenny Wheeler, his relaxed and fluid style is something along the lines of a more up-beat Bill Evans.

Once again, back in the cafe, John Eno leads a very enjoyable set by the children of the Giant Steps Saturday Jazz School Project. The set c in a jam on 'Now's The Time' everyone steps on for a solo - tentative in places perhaps, but plenty of poise and competence none the less. These kids can be proud of the fact that after only a few months playing in a demanding and probably unfamiliar musical territory they can pull it of with some style.

Next up in the theatre Richard Hallam and his trio sail through a slick and swinging set. One of the "Old Lags" (as Geoff Wright of Derby Jazz puts it), Richard and his band have nursed many of the brighter stars coming from round here - including Phil Robson and Dave O'Higgins. Their experience certainly shows in this set - an assured, at times almost leisurely, and certainly uplifting feel pervades.

After all this a final jam session in the cafe seals the end of the day and the week. Derby Jazz can take great credit in supporting the music they obviously love. They support new and upcoming talent - witness the number of young people here today. They help existing and rising stars though commissioning work and booking acts that challenge - and with out that Jazz would, of course, just be nostalgia.

John Armstrong

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