Leeds gig information and venue guide.
Sleaze Orchestra @ Seven
Sunday, 7th December 2008
Harrogate Road, Chapel Allerton, LS7 3PD
Telephone: 0113 2626777
SEVEN JAZZ PRESENT
SUNDAY lunchtime 7 December 2008 1-4pm
THE SLEAZE ORCHESTRA
Sleaze Orchestra, a biggish band made up of students and alumni of Leeds College of Music.
A unique instrumentation of trumpet, trombone, two saxophones, bass clarinet, piano, two guitars, double bass and drums, plus vocalist Anna Stott.
The band plays a funky number composed by guitarist Nick Tyson, entitled 'Badders', featuring some tasty soprano sax work from Tom Leaper and a frantic synth solo from Johnny Tomlinson, interjected with directed wails from the wind instruments. Each number is composed by a different member of the orchestra, the composers taking it in turns to direct their own piece.
Pianist Tomlinson offers a Chorale-like piece, where the bass weaves in and out of the mellow horn passages. Vocalist Stott's composition is a jazz waltz, with echoes of Gil Evans and a majestic trombone melody, delivered confidently by Jack Looman. A bass introduction, reminiscent of the great Charles Mingus, leads us into the dramatic 'DKNY', composed by clarinettist Ruth Godfrey, but the highlight of the first half is John Barwood's 'MLR', an atmospheric piece, featuring well-controlled swells from the brass and an intense cadenza passage from tenor saxophonist Martin Lindley-Robinson (whom it would seem, from the title, this piece was written for).