Rochdale Music Society concert by Boplicity

Boplicity performed at the Rochdale Music Society concert in June 2022

Rochdale Music Society chose to bring its concert series 2021 -22 to a splendid finale on Saturday 18 June with a jazz session given by Mike Hall and his friends, who perform together under the name ‘Boplicity’. Mike was for many years responsible for training some of our best contemporary jazz musicians and establishing the Royal Northern College of Music’s reputation as a centre of excellence for jazz as much as for Classical music. No wonder he has many friends ready to play with him!

‘Boplicity’ is the name of a seminal jazz piece that was included on an album produced in the late 1950s by Miles Davis. Seminal, because of the innovative orchestrations of Gil Evans, which were heralded as ‘the birth of the cool’ and have continued to influence composers and arrangers ever since.

Mike Hall and friends maintain the tradition of performing ‘mainstream jazz in contemporary mainstream fashion’. Their programme on this occasion consisted of such Jazz standards as Dance for Daddy and Sandy Shoes by Dave Pell, Java Junction by Harry Warren, Jazz goes to Siwash by Bill Holman, Round Midnight by Theolonious Monk and Show-Type Tune by Bill Evans. There were also five pieces from the Nutcracker Suite of Tchaikovsky to begin the second half of the concert. These had been adapted by Billy Strayhorn (and rearranged by Mike Hall) in such a way as to make clear reference to the originals while offering their own credentials as high quality musical offerings in mainstream jazz fashion. So did the two items with which the concert ended: Piazzola’s Liber Tango and Chick Corea’s Spain, both of which ensured that the evening’s session came to a rousing conclusion eliciting deservedly exuberant applause.

As an arranger Mike refines all the music played by the group so as to maximise the artistic contribution made by each member to each number. For those of us who do not engage in jazz performance ourselves, it is something of a revelation to witness the concentration, precision, imagination and dexterity of those who, like Boplicity, do so with the assured prompting of their leader. So, whether it was Phil Nicholas (trumpet), Helena Summerfield (alto sax/flute/ clarinet), Debbie Hall (baritone sax), Simon Lodge (trombone), Andy Holmes (guitar), Ed Harrison (double bass), Dave Walsh (drum kit) or Mike Hall himself (tenor sax/clarinet) their part in the successful presentation of what are intricately woven and colourful musical tapestries was essential and, when their moments to display their individual skill in improvisation arrived, they did so with consummate ease and aplomb.

Rochdale Music Society’s next concert series will begin in September. Details are to be found on the website: www.rochdalemusicsociety.org

Graham Marshall