RCS Jazz Orchestra - Culloden Moor

RCS Jazz Orchestra play Glasgow-born composer Bobby Wellins' Culloden Moor Suite, an eloquent celebration of one of Scotland's most haunting historical events, arranged for orchestra by Florian Ross.

About RCS Jazz Orchestra - Culloden Moor

	15th May 2024
	6pm - 7pm
	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland 100 Renfrew Street, Glasgow City Centre G2 3DB
	£4 - £11.50
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Glasgow-born composer Bobby Wellins finds inspiration in great Scottish historical events and literature. His Culloden Moor Suite is an eloquent celebration of one of Scotland’s most haunting historical events, arranged for orchestra by Florian Ross and performed here by the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Jazz Orchestra. The piece is in five movements, titled The Gathering, The March, The Battle, Aftermath, and the Epilogue

Director: Paul Harrison
Compositions: Bobby Wellins
Orchestration: Florian Ross
Tenor Saxophone Soloist: Helena Kay
Commissioned by the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra

Reeds:
Rosalind Orr
Jo Collett
Jesse Koffie
Zoe Downs
James Steele

Trumpets:
Ryan Quigley*
Leo Brychta
Danni Woodnut
Liam O'Neil

Trombones:
Michael Owers*
Rebecca Strang
Aaron Sing
Owen Pickering

Rhythm:
Ewan Johnston (piano)
Timmy Allen (bass)
Roan Anderson (drums)

ROBERT COULL “BOBBY” WELLINS was born on 24 January 1936 and is a Scottish tenor saxophonist best known for his collaboration with Stan Tracey on the seminal 1965 British jazz album Under Milk Wood. Born in Glasgow, Wellins studied alto saxophone and harmony with his father before moving to London in the mid-1950s. He was a member of Buddy Featherstonhaugh’s quintet in the late 1950s, together with Kenny Wheeler and around that time, he also joined drummer Tony Crombie’s Jazz Inc., where he first met up with pianist Tracey and went on to join Tracey’s quartet in the early 1960s. He is probably the most original and creative jazz musician to appear outside America since the war. He is one of the few thoroughgoing jazz improvisers, relying on inspiration rather than formula, always trying to play something you’ve never heard before, so one has to study the invention even after getting used to the style. Wellins has all the technical hallmarks of the real masters – an endless fund of melody and of differently shaped phrases, consistent variation of the volume, tone, length and inflexion of individual notes and their relation to the beat – but he is even stronger on intangibles. The strong Scottish tinge to his playing gives it folk roots as raw and resilient as those of the blues, and his fragile sound gives it the compulsive honesty of a public confession. Wellins can and does play everything that might occur to him, yet one’s first impression is of his unusual economy. His method is to create the maximum diversity of ideas, and yet the effect is one of tremendous swing. Above all, he successfully combines the qualities of graceful poise and nervous tension in a way that hardly anyone can compare. His influence and importance to several generations of British jazz musicians and improvisers is obvious just by checking out how many mention him as an influence, collaborator, teacher – or all three.

Helena Kay
Award-winning tenor saxophonist Helena Kay is quickly becoming renowned as one of the UK’s most creative and virtuosic jazz artists, with two critically acclaimed albums, four UK tours and performances at the UK’s most esteemed jazz venues such as Ronnie Scott’s, The Royal Albert Hall and The Vortex. Their latest album, Golden Sands (2022), was released on Kay’s own label, Sulis Records, in October 2022. The album received high praise from the jazz media, showcasing original compositions that are reflective of Kay’s experiences in their homeland of Scotland, and their time spent living in London and New York City. Kay’s well-received debut album, Moon Palace (Ubuntu 2018), followed their Peter Whittingham Jazz Award win in 2017, which also funded the project.
In addition to being an avid composer, Kay is a prolific and self-managing performer, having booked four of their own tours in the UK with support from Help Musicians, Creative Scotland and Arts Council England. They have also featured in a wide variety of other bands and alongside some of the UK’s finest jazz talents, including Scottish National Jazz Orchestra, EuroRadio Jazz Orchestra, Ryan Quigley, Zoe Rahman, Yazz Ahmed, Sean Gibbs and Seonaid Aitken.

‘A formidable saxophonist and composer… Quite simply, outstanding!’ Nick Lea, Jazz Views

‘Kay and their impressive trio have created a nostalgic jazz album that highlights the ensemble’s chemistry beautifully, through exciting melodies and captivating musicality.’ Isabel Marquez, Jazz in Europe

‘Moon Palace leaves the listener wanting more of Kay’s rich playing… it’s remarkably self-assured and forecasts an imaginative career to come.’ ****
– Ammar Kalia, Downbeat

FLORIAN ROSS
Florian Ross is a musical explorer. His journey into the many lands of jazz began with studies in Cologne and later London and New York, where he honed his skills both as a pianist and a composer. Florian's special area of devotion and expertise was post-bop, which flowered into his remarkable ability today to handle all forms of contemporary and improvised music. His first album as a leader appeared in 1998. Now he has 18 to his name, with more on the way.

Florian's music comes from a deep synthesis of heart and mind, of feeling and intellect. This is why he can effortlessly span the realms of improvised and composed jazz. His gifts as a piano player prevent him from being seduced into the abstract theory of purely intellectual composition, while his instincts as a composer enable him to steer clear of self-indulgence on the keyboards.

And it's music of a breathtaking variety. The diversity of formats he works in is simply dazzling. He casually excels in every combination, from solo, duo, trio, and quintet to big bands and symphony orchestras.

He has taught at many German universities and academies and is currently teaching Piano and Composition at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz, Köln. Additionally, he has been involved in teaching clinics and workshops worldwide. He has played, composed and arranged for many European orchestras, including the Metropole Orchestra, WDR and NDR Big Band. Florian’s international awards for playing and composing are too numerous to list, but among them are the coveted first prize in the Danish Radio Big Band International Thad Jones Competition and the prestigious WDR Jazz prize for composition.

Since October 2021 he is Professor for Jazz-Composition /-Arrangement and /-Theory at the Hochschule für Musik & Tanz, Köln. www.florianross.de www.florianross.de

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RCS Jazz Orchestra - Culloden Moor

RCS Jazz Orchestra play Glasgow-born composer Bobby Wellins' Culloden Moor Suite, an eloquent celebration of one of Scotland's most haunting historical events, arranged for orchestra by Florian Ross.

About RCS Jazz Orchestra - Culloden Moor

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