Concert: Stonkin’ night with Wayne Bergeron

Widely celebrated as one of the world’s leading trumpeters, Wayne Bergeron is a ‘must see’ when he visits the UK and, judging by the audience, I would say that almost every brass player in London (and beyond, no doubt) would agree with me. It's been five years since his last visit and, once again, the room was full of exceptional musicians, all waiting to hear the thrilling sound of Wayne's soaring trumpet over the epic big band assembled by Craig Wild. It's not often this calibre of band gets together, but when it does, it's a roaring, swinging outfit that plays with style and precision, and is worth the ticket price alone. Every chart played was underpinned by a ridiculously groovy rhythm section; add to that some of the UK's finest big band soloists and specialists, and you've got a stonkin' band.

The evening kicked off with two Tom Kubis charts, both highlighting a classy big band and exceptional soloists in Andy Wood (trombone), Graham Blevins (tenor saxophone) and Jamie Talbot (alto saxophone).

It was obvious, however, that the room was eager to hear Wayne Bergeron, who entered the stage to whoops and cheers, and opened with Arturo Sandoval's arrangement of Friend Like Me from Disney's Aladdin. Wayne's accuracy is frightening, and his sound is outrageously solid and secure. Everything is played with studio-like efficiency and the detail is astonishing. In no time at all he proved why he's considered one of the best trumpeters in the World.

The respect and friendship between Wayne and the band was evident from the outset, and the energy created was infectious. The young trumpet star, Louis Dowdswell, featured in When You Wish Upon a Star, a Ted Heath-style chart arranged by the hugely talented British trombone player, Callum Au, which demonstrated the innate musicianship of both Louis and Wayne.

During the show, Wayne covered many different styles, but it was his tributes to Maynard Ferguson that really shone through. When Si Gardner joined the soloist to perform Maynard and Waynard, it sounded like these two trumpet players from opposite ends of the World played together all the time! Andy Wood’s solo in Sammy Nestico's Samantha was some of the finest trombone playing I've ever heard, before the band pulled out all the stops with its closing chart, Rocky Theme Tune, ending a truly inspirational evening.

JON STOKES – PRINCIPAL TROMBONE, JOHN WILSON ORCHESTRA

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