Wigan
Youth Jazz Orchestra
gig list
Musical
Director - Ian Darrington, MBE
©
William Ellis
The multi-award winning Wigan
Youth Jazz Orchestra was formed in 1976 by the Wigan Metropolitan Borough
Council. Essentially a training ground for young musicians, the Orchestra aims
to develop the skills of its members through the performance of big band music
from the 1930’s to the 1990’s. The repertoire is extensive and features
music from Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, Woody Herman, Stan Kenton,
Les Brown, Ted Heath, Buddy Rich, Maynard Ferguson and many others. In addition
it also features original works composed especially for the Orchestra.
Under the experienced leadership of Ian Darrington the Orchestra’s reputation
is such that touring has become a major part of a very busy schedule, one that
includes over fifty performances per year.
Since 1982 the Orchestra has toured as follows: -
1982 –
USA
,
Indiana
&
New York
1983 – British Tour
1984 –
Aberdeen
International Youth Festival
1985 –
Hong Kong
1986 –
Edinburgh
Festival
1987 –
Hungary
1988 –
USA
&
France
1989 –
Poland
1991 –
Czechoslovakia
, Canada & Eire
1992 – Galway Festival
(Eire) &
France
1993 –
USA
,
California
&
Arizona
1994 –
Israel
1995 –
USA
,
New York
&
Arizona
1996 – The Faroe Islands
& France
1998 –
Kuala Lumpur
,
Singapore
,
Perth
, Syndey & Brisbane
2000 –
New Orleans
2001 –
Yaroslavl
International Jazz Festival
Russia
2002 –
South Africa
2003 –
California
&
Arizona
2004
- Romania
2008
- Northern Spain
The Orchestra has worked with many of the world’s top musicians including
Maynard Ferguson, James Morrison, Bobby Shew, Marion Montgomery, Salena Jones,
Georgie Fame, Don Lusher, Kenny Baker, Tommy Whittle, Buddy Childers, Elaine
Delmar, Geoff Love, Bill Watrous, Bill Perkins, Conte Candoli, Joe Newman, Phil
Wilson, Don Rader, Jiggs Whigham, Alan Price.
This outstanding Orchestra
has received many national and international honours. These include: -
BBC Radio Big Band Competition –
Junior Winners 1989 & 1991
(Runners Up on two occasions)
Senior Section Winners 1994
(Runners Up on three occasions)
Senior Section Winners 2000
Individual Awards
Whilst playing with the
Orchestra in the BBC Big Band Competition the following players received the
awards listed below: -
Ashley Frohlick (Best Soloist
1986)
Malcolm Melling (John
Dankworth Award for Most Promising
Musician 1997)
Paul Walker (Composition
Award 1988)
Matthew Leaver (Best Soloist
Award 1989)
Andy Prior (Don Lusher
Trombone Award 1990)
Paul Mitchell-Davidson (Marty
Paich Arranging Award 1992)
Andy Cuss (Outstanding
Musician 1993)
Guy Walsh (Kenny Clare
Memorial Drum Award 1995)
Alistair White (Don Lusher
Trombone Award 1999)
Alistair White (Don Lusher
Trombone Award 2000)
Andrew Greenwood (Outstanding
Musician 2000)
National Festival of Music
for Youth – Outstanding Performance 1986
Daily Telegraph Young Jazz
Competition – Winners 1988
Czechoslovakian Jazz Festival
– Most Impressive Performance 1991
Eurofanfare – Villefranche
de Rouergue - Outstanding Performance 1992
Prudential Arts Awards –
Shortlisted 1992
Alistair White – Young Jazz
Musician of the Year 1997
Jonathan
Murray - full scholarship to Manhattan School of Music
At the annual conference of
International Association of Educators held in
New Orleans
January 2000 musical director Ian Darrington was awarded the Humanitarian Award
for Jazz Education.
Since 1985 the Orchestra has released ten albums and a forty-minute documentary
video. Recorded on Wigan MBC Education Department’s record label Gateway
Records (set up by the Orchestra), these albums have sold to over twenty-five
countries. Additionally the recordings are broadcast regularly on radio stations
throughout the world. The BBC World Service has featured tracks by the Orchestra
taking the music of
Wigan
’s youth to well over fifty countries.
The albums are as follows: -
Steaming Jazz GW001
The Lion & The Dragon
(Impressions of
Hong Kong
) GW002
Aim for the Heart featuring
guest soloist Bobby Shew GW003
Lipstix featuring Eric
Delaney & Bobby Shew GW005
One More Time featuring
vocalists Andy Prior & Lois Fairclough GW006
Czech it Out GW007
Swingin’ Down the Lane
featuring vocalist Mike Higham GW008
Another Milestone GW 009
Yesterday’s Today GW010
Well Seasoned GW011
featuring the Christmas Music
of Stan Kenton & guest soloist Don Lusher
Spirit of Friendship GW012
featuring 30 minute suite composed by Richard Iles celebrating the partnership
with the South African Youth Jazz Association
A three-week tour of the Far
East and Australia was arranged in August 1998 to celebrate twenty-one years of
WYJO. Concerts and workshops took place in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Sydney &
Brisbane.
In January 2000 the Orchestra travelled to New Orleans on a ten-day visit to
perform at the International Association of Jazz Educators Conference. The trip
was recorded by the BBC and broadcast as a thirty minute documentary on BBC 2
television.
The Orchestra travelled to Russia where they played to capacity audiences at the
Yaroslavl International Jazz Festival.
In the summer of 2002 the Orchestra made a three week tour of South Africa
playing concerts in Cape Town, East London, Durban and Johannesburg. In April
2003 WYJO travelled to California, Arizona and Mexico.
In October 2004 the Orchestra are made a six day visit to Romania
performing in Sinaia, Bushten and Bucharest. WYJO graduates continue to forge
careers in the jazz world - the latest being Jonathan Murray who has been
attending Manhattan School of Music, New York.
For
the
2007-08 season, yet another wave of young musicians are stepping
up to maintain the proud tradition forged by Ian Darrington at Wigan (see
photograph above), and they show every sign of matching the standard
set by their predecessors over the years. The current band toured Northern
Spain in March-April2008, and will visit Wigan's twin town of Angers (France) in Summer 2008.
For
the latest WYJO pictures click here. See
WYJO at our next Jazz Club on May 25th.
Wigan
Youth Jazz Orchestra chooses to play electronic equipment from the range of
products by Peavey.
Wigan
Youth Jazz Orchestra endorses Zildjian cymbals
The
brass section of WYJO use Marcinkiewicz mouthpieces.
The
brass section and saxophone section play Yamaha instruments exclusively.
For further information on the Wigan Youth Jazz Orchestra please contact: -
Ian Darrington
139
Wigan Lane
Wigan
WN1 2NB
Lancashire
UK
Tel: 01942 243974 Fax: 01942 255217 Mobile: 07785 982524
E-mail: ian.darrington@blueyonder.co.uk
FORTHCOMING W.Y.J.O. GIGS
(updated 22/06/08)
Latest details of Wigan Youth Jazz Orchestra gigs,
workshops, rehearsals etc. will appear here.
Ian Darrington is currently
Director of Jazz Performance for Wigan Council Education Department with special
responsibility for jazz education, having joined their instrumental teaching
staff in September 1977. Ian was educated at Dudley College of Education,
Huddersfield Polytechnic and Bretton Hall College of Education.
He is the founder and director of the Wigan International Jazz Festival, now in
its nineteenth year and co-founder of the Wigan Jazz Club now in its twentieth
year. He is also musical director of the award winning Wigan Youth Jazz
Orchestra, a post he has held for over twenty-three years. During this time he
has produced eleven albums the most recent of which was released in November
1999. Through his work with the Orchestra he has toured
France
,
USA
(five times)
Hong Kong
,
British Columbia
,
Poland
,
Ireland
,
Czechoslovakia
,
South Africa
, the Faroe Islands,
Hungary
,
Israel
,
Kuala Lumpur
,
Singapore
,
Australia
and
Romania
.
Artists that Ian & WYJO have worked with include Maynard Ferguson, Bobby
Shew, Salena Jones, Georgie Fame, James Morrison, Buddy Childers, Conte Candoli,
Bill Perkins, Eddie Bert, Bill Watrous, Elaine Delmar, Marion Montgomery, Jiggs
Whigham, Don Rader, Don Lusher, Kenny Baker, Eric Delaney, Phil Woods and many
more.
Ian has performed big band workshops throughout Europe,
South Africa
and the
USA
. He served as a clinician for the Daily Telegraph Young Jazz Competition
working in schools and colleges throughout the
United Kingdom
. He was adviser and guest musical director to the Cork School Of Music Big Band
between 1993 and 1996. During the summer of 1999 he performed a series of big
band workshops in
Singapore
.
In 1997 he was awarded a Master of Arts Degree from
Liverpool
University
and in December 2004 was awarded a Ph.D at the same University. The subject of
his thesis is ‘An Investigation in to the Evolution of Trumpet Mouthpiece
Design and the Relationship Between the Effects of Design and the Music of the
20th Century with special reference to jazz and big band music.
At the 2000 International Association of Jazz Educators Conference in New
Orleans Ian Darrington was awarded the Humanitarian Award for Jazz Education.
In September 2000 the Rotary Club awarded Ian a Community and Vocational Award
in
recognition of services within the community.
In October 2001 Ian was awarded the MBE by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at
Buckingham
Palace
. The award was for his services to music and was announced in the Queen’s
Birthday Honours on 15th June 2001.
In summer 2002 Ian was appointed to the board of the International Association
for Jazz Education, serving as the European representative.
Ian Darrington can be contacted
at:-
139,
Wigan Lane, Wigan
WN1 2NB Lancashire
UK
Tel
01942 243974 Fax: 01942 255217
Mobile
: 07785 982524
E-mail:
ian.darrington@blueyonder.co.uk
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