Last updated: 21.VI.99
Musical Director: Malcolm Melling
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The eighteen-piece Big Band comprises five saxes, eight brass and rhythm
section, all students on the Faculty of Media, Music and Performance music
degree and diploma courses. The band's repertoire takes in a variety of
styles and includes material from the swing era, bebop and mainstream jazz,
rock, Latin American and contemporary Big Band music. In addition to the
material taken from the existing Big Band repertoire, new music is continually
being composed for the band. International tours have included a series
of concert performances in Russia (1989), Germany (1991) and Crete (1993)
whilst the band perform regularly in the U.K.
In 1990 the band won the Senior Section in the BBC National Big Band Competition and the present Musical Director, Malcolm Melling , was awarded the Marty Paich Prize for his winning arrangement of Prokofiev's `TROIKA'.
Previous Musical Directors include Goff Richards and Jonty Stockdale. Robin Dewhurst took over the band in 1992. Robin, a Senior Lecturer in Popular Music at Salford University, as well as being a practising jazz pianist, has a wide experience accumulated through his work in the field of composition and arranging for radio, television and commercial recording. In July 1994, Robin was awarded a Master of Arts with Distinction for his study on the works of jazz composer Gil Evans.
As well as providing a platform for the many vocalists in the Faculty of Media, Music and Performance, the band regularly host international guest soloists and have recently worked with Martin Taylor (Guitar), Gary Cox (Saxophone) and James Morrison (Multi-Instrumentalist).
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