Three extraordinary big bands. One very special night.
On what would have been his 90th birthday, Union Chapel hosts a remarkable celebration of the life, music and legacy of Bill Ashton OBE – founder of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra and one of the most influential figures in British jazz.
For more than four decades, Bill created opportunities for young musicians to learn their craft where it mattered: in a band, on a stage and alongside exceptional players. Through NYJO, generations of musicians were given the chance to rehearse, perform, tour, write, arrange and discover what kind of musicians they might become.
The roll call of those who passed through the orchestra is extraordinary. Amy Winehouse sang with NYJO as a teenager, while generations of leading British jazz musicians, composers, arrangers, session players and musical directors learned their craft under Bill’s watch. His influence can still be heard across British jazz, the West End, recording studios, orchestras and stages throughout the world.
So perhaps the most fitting way to celebrate Bill is with an enormous amount of music including many of his own charts.
For this unique concert hosted by Bill’s son Miles Ashton, three of Britain’s great big bands appear together on the same bill: the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, the organisation Bill created in 1965; the internationally renowned BBC Big Band; and, closing the evening, the Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Orchestra under the baton of Pete Long.
Across three hours of live music, they will celebrate not simply Bill’s life, but the musical world he helped to create – bringing together different generations of players, including musicians whose own careers bear the imprint of the opportunities, encouragement and sometimes formidable standards he provided.
The show will feature the premiere of Paul Hart’s setting of a poem by the Irish poet William Allingham. A NYJO alumnus, Hart (1954–2022) was a prolific composer and musician. The evening concludes with a particularly poignant performance of another of his works, Remembrance, with acclaimed flautist Gareth Lockrane joining the Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Orchestra as a special guest.
Bill Ashton devoted much of his life to giving musicians a place to play. On his 90th birthday, many of them come together to play for him.
