Callum Au Big Band

Led by trombonist and composer/arranger Callum Au, this large jazz ensemble features some of the hottest young jazz soloists and composers on the British scene, including Tom Walsh (BBC Big Band), Lucas Dodd (Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Orchestra), Henry Armburg Jennings (Stan Tracey), and Robbie Harvey (Guy Barker). Since its first gig in 2009, the band has been fortunate enough to perform with some of the finest jazz musicians in the world as guest soloists, including trombonist Mark Nightingale and saxophonist Nigel Hitchcock.

The band performs a wide range of music, from cutting-edge originals to some of the genre’s classic repertoire. The vast majority of the band’s repertoire is composed or arranged by Callum and other band members. Influenced by writers such as Bill Holman, Bob Florence, Laurence Cottle, and Nelson Riddle, the band creates its own distinctive and original sound by laying down contemporary grooves and harmonies, while respecting the classic building-blocks of the tradition.

The band’s most recent project is Callum’s West Side Story suite, a suite in six movements based on the music of Leonard Bernstein’s famous musical. This suite features guest vocalists Emma Smith and Kwabena Adjepong, as well as many of the band’s soloists.

Between them, the band’s members have performed with artists including the BBC Big Band, the Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Orchestra, and Stevie Wonder; and have played in locations as diverse as the Royal Albert Hall, the North Sea Jazz Festival, and the Lincoln Centre, New York.

Part of Out to Lunch 2012.