The National Youth Jazz Orchestra (NYJO) comes to Northampton’s Royal & Derngate on Friday 21 January with its celebration of the life and works of Amy Winehouse.

NYJO alumna Amy Winehouse is undoubtedly one of the greatest musical talents to come out of the UK. Her unmistakable character, vocal dexterity and masterful song-writing made her a pop icon. Her tragic passing makes her one of the most sorely missed artists in recent memory. Now, ten years on, her music still shines, undiminished, in all its defiant brilliance.

This concert celebrates Amy’s enduring legacy, reimagining hits and revisiting early works she sang with the 24-piece National Youth Jazz Orchestra as a promising 16-year-old singer, back in 2000. This is a chance to see some incredible young musicians honour Amy’s short but unforgettable career with a performance that fans of big band jazz and Amy obsessives will enjoy together.

Taking on the role of Amy as lead vocalist for the concert is 18 year old Lucy-Anne Daniels, and arrangements are by award-winning young composer, saxophonist, and improviser Olivia Murphy. The musical director is Winston Rollins, currently NYJO’s Head of Professional Development.

Lucy-Anne commented: “It’s a bit nerve-wracking because Amy was once me! It’s really lovely [the project] because it highlights both me, and Olivia as up and coming musicians.”

NYJO features some of the most talented young jazz musicians in the UK, mixing a dynamic rhythm section and a plethora of expressive soloists, into one of the most thrilling jazz orchestras playing right now. The orchestra takes pride in providing a gateway for accomplished young musicians to progress into the industry and inspiring music audiences across the UK.

Audiences can see the National Youth Jazz Orchestra Perform Amy Winehouse in Derngate auditorium on Friday 21 January at 7.30pm. Tickets – priced from £17* – can be booked by calling Box Office on 01604 624811 or online at http://www.royalandderngate.co.uk.

* A charge of £3.50 applies for all transactions of £20 and over. Does not apply to Groups, Members or Disabled Patrons, and is per-transaction, not per-ticket.

Lead Vocals: Lucy-Anne Daniels

A natural performer, creative improviser and talented musician, Leeds native Lucy-Anne Daniels draws inspiration from singers such as Betty Carter, gospel duo Mary Mary and, most pertinently, Amy Winehouse. At the age of sixteen, Lucy-Anne became the lead vocalist for the band at the close of 2019. Since then, she has performed at various venues and festivals across the country, most memorably a hometown gig which saw her return to the historic Leeds Town Hall; a moment she will relive for the opening night of this very series!

In September 2020 she began studying jazz voice at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, receiving tuition from both Sara Colman and Noemi Nutti. Lucy-Anne has matured incredibly since joining the London-based band and has since established herself as an emerging artist on the Birmingham jazz scene in her own right.

Arrangements by: Olivia Murphy

Olivia Murphy is an award-winning composer, saxophonist, and improviser based in Birmingham, U.K. Olivia has always had a passion for large ensemble jazz and was the first and only two-time winner of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Jazz Composition and Arranging Prize in 2018 & 2019. After graduating from RBC, Olivia was thrilled to be given the composer chair for the National Youth Jazz Orchestra in January 2020. As well her ongoing work with NYJO, Olivia has also worked with Birmingham Jazz Orchestra, the University of Birmingham Jazz Orchestra and a range of other exciting large ensembles.

Olivia also enjoys writing for her own smaller bands and was commissioned by Stoney Lane Records and TDE Promotions earlier this year to compose, perform and record in isolation a 20 minute set for her trio (Soprano saxophone, voice, piano). The resulting suite ‘Tomorrow Songs’ was released for the Around The Houses Festival in August 2020. Most recently (July ’21), Olivia was selected by Jazzlife Alliance as their Young Composer (18-24) to be funded by PRS Foundation, where she will be mentored by the incredible Django Bates, premiere her work at CQAF’s Out To Lunch Festival, later to be released with Lyte Records in 2022.

Music Director: Winston Rollins

One of the UK’s most in-demand brass instrumentalists, his credits as a writer, arranger, trombonist and producer reads like a who’s who of pop iconoclasts: James Brown, Kylie Minogue, Ray Charles, Paloma Faith, Chaka Khan, Jamiroquai, Tom Jones, Spice Girls, Paul McCartney, Cee Lo Green, Laura Mvula, Emeli Sandé, Rag ’n’ Bone Man and, the late-great, Amy Winehouse. Having worked on Amy’s Frank album, Rollins is the perfect conduit through this ambitious marriage of jazz and pop.

Winston is currently NYJO’s Head of Professional Development and revels in the opportunity to use NYJO’s frontline projects (such as this) to guide and nurture up and coming talent at the onset of their careers.

National Youth Jazz Orchestra

NYJO are back for 2021 with a post-lockdown energy you don’t want to miss! Watch some of the most talented young jazz musicians in the UK mix a dynamic rhythm section and a plethora of expressive soloists, into one of the most thrilling jazz orchestras playing right now.

After decades of performing in a variety of venues across the UK and Europe, NYJO has helped launch the careers of many of the country’s most renowned jazz musicians in the process, such as Guy Barker, Amy Winehouse, Mark Nightingale and Laura Jurd. 

The 24-piece orchestra has always proudly provided a gateway for accomplished young musicians to progress into the industry. The band represents a unique opportunity to gain vital experience in professional environments; explore the myriad styles and sounds with the genre; and form new relationships with a range of other musicians.

The Charity

NYJO exists to empower young jazz musicians and inspire music audiences across the UK, through engaging learning projects and impactful live performance. Founded in 1965, NYJO has grown from a single jazz orchestra to a multifaceted organisation that is committed to support and develop passionate young musicians and burgeoning artists at the onset of their careers.

The London-based charity currently has over 90 active education partnerships around the UK and works with each of them to develop projects that complement local provision and strengthen progression routes into music education and the professional world.

Throughout all its activities, NYJO are actively seeking to create a dialogue; between the established and the experimental; the past and the present; with captivating experiences that inspire and entertain.   

Links

► Website: https://bit.ly/3bRcfsC

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► Instagram: https://bit.ly/2YhhaPB

► Twitter: https://bit.ly/3aOdhE4

Tour Dates

10.09.2021 • Leeds Town Hall, Leeds

23.09.2021 • Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham

24.09.2021 • Palace Theatre, Southend

07.10.2021 • De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-on-Sea

14.10.2021 • Lighthouse, Poole

04.11.2021 • Oxford Town Hall, Oxford

06.11.2021 • St Georges, Bradford

28.11.2021 • Cambridge Jazz Festival, Cambridge Junction, Cambridge

14.01.2022 • Saffron Hall, Saffron Walden

20.01.2022 • Garrick Theatre, Lichfield

21.01.2022 • Royal & Derngate, Northampton

10.02.2022 • The Fire Station, Sunderland

11.02.2022 • Band On The Wall, Manchester

20.02.2022 • Derby Theatre, Derby

27.02.2022 • Leicester, TBC

02.03.2022 • Truro, TBC

10.03.2022 • Portsmouth Guildhall, Portsmouth

13.03.2022 • RWCMD, Cardiff

19.03.2022 • Woolwich Works, London

26.03.2022 • The Civic, Barnsley

10.04.2022 • The Stables, Milton Keynes