Summer Jazz at the Tooting Tram!
On Monday 1st July the Tooting Tram and Social once again hosted the Wandsworth Music Academy Jazz Orchestras, along with a special guest ensemble.
The night kicked off with Jazz 2B, with a spirited rendition of “Cold Duck Time” by Eddie Harris. There were great solos from Caspian on trumpet, Augustin on trombone, Mikel on clarinet, and Alban on trumpet. The orchestra continued with “Las Vegas Tango” by Gil Evans, where Augustin, Mikel, and Francesco’s took turns to solo. “Soweto is Where it’s At” by Abdullah Ibrahim changed the mood, with memorable solos from Caspian, Mikel, Josh, and Bella. The ensemble then played a jazz standard, “Lady Be Good”. The orchestra rounded off their performance with an energetic version of “Monkey Man” by Toots and the Maytals.
The evening also marked the debut performance at the Tram by The Malteserz, a new group composed of WMA pupils and their friends. They had recently got through to the final of the Wandsworth Young Musician of the Year Ensemble Category. We wish them the best of luck in the final! Their set included a performance of “Sunny” by Bobby Hebb. Herbie Hancock’s “Cantaloupe Island” allowed the group to showcase their improvisational skills, while “Zandile” by Victor Ndlazilwana highlighted the strong sound of the horn section.
Jazz 2A continued the evening’s music. “Satin Doll” by Billy Strayhorn, Duke Ellington, and Johnny Mercer was a standout, featuring beautiful solos from Cecily and Amy on saxophone, and Josh and Jay on trumpet. Next they played Wayne Shorter’s “Footprints”. Their set also included a lively version of “Just Friends” by Johnny Klenner, with a solo by Rafi on clarinet. They closed their set with the classic “Night Train,” featuring solos from Rory on trumpet and Maya on saxophone
The last group to take the stage were Jazz 1. They opened with “Big Dipper” by Thad Jones, featuring solos from Elvis on trumpet, Orion on guitar, and Milo. They continued with “Airegin” by Sonny Rollins, where Milo on saxophone and Leo on trumpet delivered great solos. Their set also included “Critic’s Choice,” Jazz 1 then treated the audience to the cinematic “Theme in Search of a Movie” by John Oddo, before closing with an energetic performance of “The Chicken” by Alfred James Ellis, featuring solos from Jed, Milo, Leo, Tomas, and Joe Mackley.
It was the last Jazz Orchestra performance for Roshay, Amaia, Tomas, Ollie and Dylan, who are moving on to new ventures. Their contributions to the WMA Jazz Orchestras have been immense, and they will be greatly missed. We wish them well for the future. Well done to all the pupils who performed, it was a brilliant evening of music making.
A special thanks to Olly, Dave, and Andrew for their dedication in tutoring the bands, and to the staff at the Tooting Tram and Social for providing such a welcoming venue.