Calum Morrell

The first SNJO release. A promise of what is to come?

In the last 5 minutes I’ve just been told “An orchestra of Scotsmen with jazz… tehehehehe” when mentioning this CD. Well, if you are going to judge by any other than means than listening to it, you are missing out. This is a phenomenal performance by the SNJO and Ingrid Jensen. From hard, fast, heavy movements to the subtle delicacies of slower pieces, the album just flows from start to finish. I tend to prefer live Jazz to studio albums and this one just reinforces my feelings. The sound quality is excellent with little being lost in depth or quality, so congratulations to the sound engineers.

SNJO – Miles Ahead, CD Cover”Springville” powers on while “The Maids Of Cadiz” opens up a more delicate side, beautifully complimenting the tones of Ingrid’s trumpet and flugelhorn. “Blues for Pablo” offers a smooth almost delicate progression that allows certain members of the SNJO to be easily picked out while remaining subdued against the solo. Orlando le Fleming on bass and John Rae on drums provide a consistently enjoyable backing, punchy without being overbearing. The horn section, as always, just flow, their efforts seeming so natural you have to wonder if they’ve been playing the pieces all their lives.

If you enjoy big band music, I can heartily recommend this recording and would be very surprised if you find it not to your tastes. In my growing collection, this CD is Miles Ahead of the rest.

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This review was first written and submitted by me to Amazon’s website in December 2002.