BBC Big Band

The BBC Big Band at Town Hall Birmingham

The BBC Big Band, originally known as the BBC Radio Big Band is a British big band run under the auspices of the BBC. Widely regarded as the UK’s leading and most versatile jazz orchestra, the band broadcasts exclusively on BBC Radio, particularly on BBC Radio 2's long-running series Big Band Special. It consists of professional jazz musicians and is directed by a number of conductors. These include arranger and composer Barry Forgie, who has been the band's Musical Director since 1977; American jazz trombonist Jiggs Whigham; and guest musical directors.

History

The BBC Big Band’s origins lie in the earliest days of the BBC when the BBC Dance Orchestra was formed in 1928 under the leadership of Jack Payne before Henry Hall took over in 1932. In the 1950s the format and purpose of the Dance Orchestra was changed and modernised, and it became a big band with strings in the Billy May style, known as the BBC Showband, under the leadership of Cyril Stapleton. The band, featuring many British jazz stars, was heavily featured on the BBC Light Programme and also began to be used widely in television in the company of homegrown talent, including a then unknown Matt Monro, and with international stars such as Frank Sinatra and Nat ‘King’ Cole.

The BBC Big Band came into existence in 1964 when the existing BBC Variety Orchestra and BBC Revue Orchestra were amalgamated creating the BBC Radio Orchestra.^[1]

The BBC Radio Orchestra was a large flexible studio ensemble in the Nelson Riddle / Henry Mancini mode, with a full jazz Big Band and symphonic strings. The BBC Big Band made up the orchestra's brass, reed and rhythm sections, and was nominally the orchestra's jazz wing. The various sections of the Radio Orchestra, prefixed A-D, could be used for different kinds of recordings and the "C1" section of the BBC Radio Orchestra was known as the BBC Radio Big Band. The orchestra was initially directed by Malcolm Lockyer, who had previously directed the BBC Showband and BBC joined by various arrangers and guest conductors, including Barry Forgie in 1977, who remains the big band’s Musical Director to this day. At the outset, the big band was sometimes known within the BBC as the 'Radio Dance Orchestra' or 'Radio Showband', utilising some of the names the band had been previously known under, but it was officially called the Radio Big Band from 1964.

For the most part it has been a standard-sized big band, comprising Four Trumpets, Four Trombones, five saxophones (all of whom double on various reed and wind instruments) and a rhythm section of piano (doubling keyboards), guitar, double bass (doubling bass guitar), drums and percussion (including vibes and Latin instruments). For various projects the band has also seen regular augmentation with additional instruments including French horns, tubas, extra wind and on occasion large groups of strings, particularly the BBC Concert Orchestra, (effectively recreating the line-up of the BBC Radio Orchestra).

The BBC Radio Big Band was also complemented by similar ensembles throughout the UK, including the BBC Northern Dance Orchestra in Manchester and the BBC Scottish Radio Orchestra in Glasgow (which was also known as the Radio Scotland Big Band).

The band was used across a huge variety of BBC Radio programmes, its main features included Jazz Parade, Saturday Swings and Saturday Night, accompanying singers and performing instrumental versions of popular tunes. Though staffed with many strong jazz soloists, the band had little in the way of dedicated jazz output and was used primarily as a light-music ensemble and dance band. But in 1979 a significant development took place which led to the band establishing its own identity as a dedicated jazz orchestra when Big Band Special took to the airwaves. Originally commissioned as a series of 12 shows, such was the impact made by the BBC Big Band in this show that the run was extended. So much so that over 30 years later, Big Band Special remains an important part of Monday night listening on BBC Radio 2 and is one of the station's only year-round jazz programmes. It is presented by jazz singer and broadcaster Clare Teal. The band also found a home on BBC Radio 3's Jazz Parade.

In a shake-up of musical policy at the BBC, the corporation disbanded the BBC Radio Orchestra in 1991, retaining the Big Band. But, in 1994, the BBC once again announced that it had decided to dismantle the Big Band. However, due to overwhelming public opposition to the decision,^[2] an agreement was reached, whereby the band would continue to exist, but would be managed outside the BBC and its musicians would be freelance rather than BBC staff. As well as continuing its Big Band Special programme, the band now also appears frequently on Friday Night is Music Night on Radio 2, has a BBC Radio 3 home on Jazz Line Up, appears regularly at the BBC Proms and can be heard frequently on BBC Radio Scotland's Jazz House programme. It also reaches worldwide audiences through the BBC World Service, satellite radio and the Internet.^[3] The BBC Big Band has been voted the best Big Band in the British Jazz Awards in 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2007, 2013 and 2014.

The band has played with jazz stars such as Van Morrison, Michael Bublé, Tony Bennett, George Shearing, Michel Legrand, Cleo Laine, John Dankworth, Lalo Schifrin, Dr. John, Mel Torme, Ray Charles, Kurt Elling, Mark Murphy, Jack Bruce, Ed Thigpen, Monty Alexander, Norma Winstone, Clark Terry, Amy Winehouse, Koop, Claire Martin, Ian Shaw, Lea Delaria, The Manhattan Transfer, Buddy Greco, Phil Woods and New York Voices. The band regularly features on the UK jazz festival circuit, and concert tours with major artists have taken the band all over the world in addition to its regular concert recordings throughout the UK for BBC Radio. It also links, from time to time, with the BBC Concert Orchestra, for concerts and broadcasts.

The band has also been conducted by such luminaries of the big band and jazz world as Billy May, Robert Farnon, Les Brown, Tommy Watt, Angela Morley, Stan Tracey, Bob Brookmeyer, Bill Russo, Gerald Wilson, Roy Hargrove, Thad Jones, Mike Abene, Brian Fahey, Steve Gray, Bob Florence, Sammy Nestico, Jiggs Whigham, Mark Nightingale and Steve Sidwell.^[4] The band is also directed on occasions by its longstanding baritone saxophonist Jay Craig.

Since 2007, the BBC Big Band has been an Associate Ensemble at Birmingham Town Hall, performing regularly in concert and participating in community and education projects.

Members

Trumpets

• Mike Lovatt
• Simon Gardner
• Martin Shaw
• Brian Rankine

Trombones

• Gordon Campbell
• Andy Wood
• Ashley Horton
• John Higginbotham

Saxophones

• Howard McGill
• Sammy Mayne
• Paul Booth
• Martin Williams
• Jay Craig

Guitar

• Phil Robson

Bass

• Jeremy Brown

Drums

• Tom Gordon

Percussion

• Anthony Kerr

References

External links

• BBC Big Band website