The New England Conservatory Jazz Orchestra, directed by Ken Schaphorst, presented a tribute to the late Canadian jazz trumpeter and composer Kenny Wheeler on Thursday, April 21, at NEC’s Jordan Hall. Joining the student orchestra were visiting artist-in-residence and renowned jazz bassist/composer Dave Holland, who worked closely with Wheeler for over 40 years, and guest flugelhornist Nick Smart, chair of jazz at the Royal Academy of Music in London, who also worked with Wheeler. The concert featured two of Wheeler’s rarely heard masterpieces, “Windmill Tilter” (1969) and “The Sweet Time Suite” (1991), and followed master classes led by Holland and Smart.
Pictured from left to right: flugelhornist Nick Smart, bassist Dave Holland and vocalist and NEC doctoral student Liz Tobias.
Photo by Andrew Hurlbut/NEC.