The hottest jazz gig in London - at St Paul's

Review
Stan Tracey
St Paul's

BEFORE Stan Tracey struck up his orchestra in St Paul’s last Tuesday night, a priest told us that the cathedral was, for once, holding the best jazz gig in London.
And he was right. I have never seen the cathedral so packed – more than 3,000 people had crowded in to hear the pianist and orchestrator perform Duke Ellington’s Sacred Concert. When Ellington first presented the music it was not well-receivedcritically, but since Canon Bill Hall and the Duke’s late biographer Derek Jewell, with the musical talents of Stan Tracey, revived the music at Durham Cathedral more than 10 years ago it has become well-established.
Here, it was part of the City of London Festival and, essentially, it is now in the structure of a mass, and works through the established liturgy of a service.
Soloists Niall Hoskin and Norma Winstone were fantastic.
Hoskin’s strong baritone particularly ringing true during the opening number of In the Beginning, God and Winstone’s interpretation of Come Sunday was haunting.
For the most part, Tracey is happy conducting and leading the orchestra.
The most outstanding aspect of the entire performance is the acoustics themselves. Clearly not designed to serve the delicate acoustics of jazz, St Paul’s, nevertheless, adds much to the music with the sound echoing throughout its cavernous space.

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