Apparently a ‘jazz mass’ has never been performed in the Cathedral before – but given the Archbishop was present, it is hoped this won’t be the first – or indeed the last – time!
Many may be more familiar with Chilcott’s anthems arranged for parish choirs, but it was a breath of fresh air to hear his mass setting sung. The performance was characterised by passion, purpose and drive.
Ben Shankland was the winner of BBC Radio Scotland’s ‘Jazz Musician of the Year’ – and you could see why. His playing was free and expressive, coming more from the heart than the manuscript. It was fantastic to hear him playing a piece he himself had composed.
We then heard Ben and Richard Michael playing an improvised set based on George Gershwin works – and here again, the energy, enthusiasm and soulfulness shone through. The dynamic interplay between the two pianists themselves – but also with the audience – really set the performance apart. “I got rhythm” concluded the medley, and its accelerating complexity made for a fantastic finish before the Interval.
The second half began with the Schola Cantorum singing the ‘Jubilate De’o, before the Jazz Trio led us through a captivating series of four additional works. ‘One for the birds; celebrated our interconnectedness with our friends in the animal kingdom and natural world, incorporating familiar themes from works such as ‘The Lark Ascending’… but also “There’ll be Blue Birds Over’, and ‘Bye Bye Blackbird’.
Running together a series of pieces ‘Celebrating the Duke’ was performed in the very warm key of Db – an arrangement of the jazz of Duke Ellington, who sadly passed away back in 1974. We then heard two amazing songs, associated with two memorable personalities – in memory of Tony Bennett (‘I left my heart in San Francisco’) and Robbie Shepherd (‘The Northern Lights of Old Aberdeen’). If we doubted these pieces could ever be spliced together, we were very quickly proved wrong!
The final item – the Te Deum – was a particularly lengthy reworking of the very well-known canticle; while the event overran a bit, this was an evening saturated with quality, and it was beautiful to see the audience beaming with smiles as they soaked up the music.
The performance finished at 9.30pm.
Swing with the Spirit, Monday 12th August, St Mary’s Catholic Cathedral