Bobby Wellins - Jazz Saxophonist - Project, "The Wind That Shakes The Barley"


	THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY Robert Burns is the inspiration behind a major new composition for 2006 by Bobby Wellins. Bobby celebrates his 70th birthday in 2006 and remains “one of the most original voices in European Jazz.” “Wellins' fascinating project, with such universal human interest and film potential, certainly sounds like a winning project for a far-sighted promoter or investor. Some narratives just have to be told and who could tell them better, in music, than saxophonist Bobby Wellins? Remember Starless And Bible Black? He's been doing it for years...” - CHRISSIE MURRAY Participant Organisations Glasgow International Jazz Festival will present The Wind that Shakes the Barley world premiere as the main highlight of their annual Festival in 2006. It is hoped that the newly refurbished Fruit Market Venue will accommodate the first performance. More information on Glasgow International Jazz festival is at www.jazzfest.co.uk National Youth Orchestras of Scotland. The strings of Camerata Scotland, the showcase pre-professional chamber orchestra of the National Youth Orchestras of Scotland, will participate in this project. Camerata Scotland bridges the gap from the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland and professional status for talented young Scottish musicians. For more information on Camerata Scotland visit www.nyos.co.uk. Glasgow International Jazz Festival and NYOS have both won awards for their educational work and will combine to build imaginative education work around the new composition. Outline aspirations for the Wind that Shakes the Barley Through performances and educational projects, “Wind that Shakes the Barley,” the work of an inspiring, thoughtful and modest Scottish jazz musician of world class, will reach a new generation of jazz and classical musicians. This cross genre work of the highest musical quality, will attract a wide audience. This new work will be premiered at the Glasgow International Jazz Festival and receive further performances in London and Birmingham, Cheltenham or Bath Festivals in 2006, Bobby Wellins 70th birthday year. Education projects around this commission and further performances will be planned in the run-up to the Burns 250th anniversary celebrations in January 2009 in Schools throughout Scotland and will be available to the rest of the UK. The nature of the work to be commissioned THE COMPOSITION The Wind that Shakes the Barley would include five pieces for chorus, string orchestra (6-8,4-6, 4-6,4-6,1-2) and the Bobby Wellins Quartet to be written by world class jazz musician Bobby Wellins. Performance time circa 60 minutes. The work draws its inspiration from James Barke's 5-novel sequence "Immortal Memory," a fictionalised life of Robert Burns and his family. These novels loomed large in the life of a whole generation of Scots, and Bobby Wellins is no exception. Bobby feels that even the titles have been a haunting presence, and will use these for the individual movements: The wind that shakes the barley Song in the Greenthorn Tree The Crest of the broken wave The Well of the Silent Harp Bonnie Jean The work will contain fully improvised sections in which the choir and strings will provide backing, as well as fully through-composed sections. The orchestration, preparation for performance and musical direction of the performances will be done by Pete Churchill, a great musician of a younger generation and winner of the Arts and Business Award 2005 for his work with The Royal Bank Glasgow Jazz Festival choir in 2004 amongst other things. Please visit www.petechurchill.co.uk. The work will be the product of a deep artistic collaboration between two musicians of very great stature. BOBBY WELLINS Bobby Wellins because is one of the icons of British modern jazz. Originally from Glasgow but based in London, Bobby played on one of the biggest selling jazz albums ever produced in this country, Stan Tracey's "Under Milk Wood", recorded in the late sixties. In the eighties he led the Charlie Watts Big band, as well as a number of small groups which re-established him as one of the finest melodic saxophonists in the world. His gentle sound and approach are unique, and make for fine, highly enjoyable listening. He is respected by jazz musicians world-wide. Today’s leading modern jazz saxophonists openly acknowledge that Bobby’s sound is undeniably unique and that he is still a leader in his field. PETE CHURCHILL (director/ arranger) Pete has become recognised as a composer for, and director of, large ensembles - able to handle the logistical and administrative challenges of bringing disparate forces together. "David and Goliath" - for five hundred children, soloists and big-band (performed at the Albert Hall in April of 2003) "Babel" - for narrator, children's choir and nonet – performed at the Royal Albert Hall in April 2005 with one thousand children from West London, symphony orchestra, big-band, narrator and Stan Sulzmann as featured soloist. "Bethlehem" combining Israeli and Palestinian poetry with a traditional Christmas carol. Executive Producers Cathie Rae of Thick Skinned Productions and Sebastian Scotney of JazzDev will act jointly as executive producers to the project. Thick Skinned Productions is an imaginative project-based music production company based in Scotland and run by Cathie Rae, Suzy Melhuish, John Rae and Davie Gray. JazzDev is a national charity founded by John Dankworth, with the Duke of Edinburgh as Royal Patron, with a mission to assist the UK jazz industry to grow and to build the audience of the future. Production Manager The overall running of the project will be in very capable hands. Richard Mallett Arts Management has over 20 years of experience of managing complicated projects, and led the Babel project earlier in 2005. Launch Event “An evening with Bobby Wellins” will be held to launch the project on 9th February 2006 at the 606 Club in London. Likely performance dates for the work June - Glasgow International Jazz Festival July 2006 - Birmingham A London date is to be confirmed BBC Radio recording date to be confirmed Contact Glasgow International Jazz Festival - Cathie Rae 01620 861000 cathie@jazzfest.co.uk JazzDev- Sebastian Scotney 07768 288 988 seb@jazzdev.org.uk Supporters of the Wind that Shakes the Barley Robert and Mary Brinkley, UK Ambassador's Residence, Kiev, Ukraine Stewart and Patricia Edgar, Brussels and Berwick Prof. Simon Frith, Tovey Professor of Music, Edinburgh University Alison Lacombe, Montfort l'Amaury,France Andrew Marr, London James Naughtie , London Jenny McKay, Stirling University Ian Watt, Aberdeen