New Jazz Orchestra
| Company type | Big band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1963 |
| Defunct | 1970 |
| Headquarters | London , England |
| Products | Jazz music, albums |
The New Jazz Orchestra (NJO) was a British jazz big band that operated between 1963 and 1970. Several albums featuring numerous NJO musicians were recorded by Neil Ardley and released under his own name.
Origins and members
The NJO emerged from the "Jazzhouse" weekend sessions held at the Green Man, Blackheath, where the resident group was the Ian Bird Quintet (consisting of Ian Bird on tenor sax, Clive Burrows on baritone sax, Johnny Mealing on piano, Tony Reeves on bass, and Trevor Tomkins on drums). After Mealing and Tomkins departed to join the Rendell-Carr Quintet, Paul Raymond and Jon Hiseman took their places.
Members of the ensemble included notable London jazz figures such as Harry Beckett, Jack Bruce, Ian Carr, Dave Gelly, Michael Gibbs, Dick Heckstall-Smith, Jon Hiseman, Henry Lowther, Don Rendell, Frank Ricotti, Paul Rutherford, Barbara Thompson, Trevor Tomkins, Michael Phillipson, Les Carter, Tom Harris, Trevor Watts, and Lionel Grigson. Compositions and arrangements were contributed by Ardley, Gibbs, Carter, Rutherford, Michael Garrick, and composer Mike Taylor.
The idea for the NJO was conceived in autumn 1963 during a discussion between Clive Burrows and Les Carter, who intended to establish a big band centered around the Ian Bird Quintet. Burrows brought valuable musician connections while Carter provided arrangements to broaden the band's repertoire.
Their first performance took place at The Green Man during Christmas 1963 under the name "The Bird/Burrows Big Band." Following Ian Bird's departure in 1964, the group briefly adopted the title "The Neoteric Jazz Orchestra" before settling on "The New Jazz Orchestra" (NJO).
Later that year, with Clive Burrows no longer involved and performance opportunities limited, Ian Carr proposed bringing in pianist-composer Neil Ardley. Ardley's arrangement of Duke Ellington's "In a Mellow Tone" impressed fellow members and led to his leadership of the NJO until 1971.
Under Ardley's direction—who was influenced by Gil Evans—the NJO's lineup and instrumentation shifted to reflect his distinctive arranging approach. In 1993, the original members reunited for a concert marking their 30th anniversary at London's Barbican Centre.
Discography
- Western Reunion (Decca, 1965)
- Le Déjeuner sur l'Herbe (Verve, 1969) – reissued on CD in 2015 by Dusk Fire Records
- Camden '70 (live recording from Camden Festival) (Dusk Fire, 2008) – recorded in 1970
- On The Radio: BBC Sessions 1971 featuring Neil Ardley (Dusk Fire, 2017) – recorded in 1971
Bibliography
- Playing the Band: The Musical Life of Jon Hiseman. Martyn Hanson, edited by Colin Richardson. Temple Music, 2010.