Hanover Hall was filled to capacity on Saturday for an evening with Oscar Laven and Dunedin Jazz Club stalwarts swung into the night with "New Angles in Jazz".
Laven gave a guest slot to the Big Band Combo from Bayfield High School led by trombonist Benji Pickering.
The combo were the proud winners in the Dunedin Youth Jazz Festival.
The festival, which attracts bands from across Otago, was judged by Laven.
Their opening piece showed post-competition nerves but also showed their dedication over a short few months.
Pickering also made good with his guest appearance with the ensemble.
Only the fast passages lost confidence.
The combo deserved the exuberant applause they won.
A good half of the evening was spent showcasing Laven’s compositions and the influences drawn from New Orleans.
He encompasses such greats as Chick Corea, David Sanborn and the crisp Jack DeJohnette.
The music conjured up a wonderful sense of atmosphere, from the laid-back Ile de Batz, the sultry Steamboat Midnight, the sinister Rasp to the classic New Orleans sound in Trong Park.
Covers of works included Dizzy Gillespie’s rumba Tin Tin Deo, Yusef Lateef's Morning with its crickets and pared-back sounds of double bass and percussion, Miles Davis’ On Green Dolphin Street and Love for Sale, were beautifully performed and had wonderfully precise timing and inflection.
Gillespie’s Lazy Bird lifted the tempo, ensuring a nicely rounded programme.
The production team are to be credited for a smoothly run evening.
Gratitude goes to the excellent musicians’ astringent harmonies and amazingly dropped rhythms for warming the cockles of our hearts and for putting smiles on our faces in this winter of discontent.
