Helena Kay to take part in Scottish jazz showcase

A new triple date tour under the moniker NU-AGE SOUNDS featuring eight of the new scene’s hottest names will take place from 1-3 March at venues in Dundee, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Each artist will premiere a newly commissioned piece of music with the touring line-up including singer Kitti, pianist Fergus McCreadie, saxophonists Helena Kay and Matt Carmichael, trombonist Noushy, bands corto.alto and KARMA, and BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year, bassist Ewan Hastie. The Scottish National Jazz Orchestra (SNJO) will be performing pieces by the touring musicians with some of the music arranged by Berlin-based saxophonist, vocalist and composer Fabia Mantwill and German pianist Florian Ross, as well as pianist McCreadie, corto.alto bandleader Liam Shortall, saxophonist Kay, and the SNJO’s Tommy Smith.

Commenting on this new wave of homegrown talent, Tommy Smith said: “As Fergus, Matt, Peter, Ewan, Noushy, and Liam were students of mine for four years at the RCS, I greatly respect and admire their musicianship and observe with amazement their blossoming careers. Educating musicians of this calibre in harmony, composition, etc., was a joy, especially sharing my ideas in the music business, which I taught throughout their four years with me. I am very proud of where they have all reached.

“I’m also aware of their capabilities as players and arrangers. I am confident that Nu-Age Sounds will be a standout tour for our ever-growing audience. It’s also vital for the orchestra to embrace the younger audience and adopt a new focus on future sounds and fusions, widening our musical horizons.”