Weir Quay Boatyard presents Mike Westbrook's GLAD DAY

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Weir Quay Boatyard is proud to be bringing Mike Westbrook's GLAD DAY, THE CHORAL VERSION - jazz settings of the poetry of William Blake, to Tavistock, where it will open this year's Music and Arts Festival on April 24th.

Mike Westbrook is the UK’s foremost band leader and jazz composer, his depth and variety of output has been compared to that of Duke Ellington. Leading a succession of big bands and ensembles since the 1960s, Mike has performed and broadcast in many countries, recorded more than 50 albums and featured in a number of programmes and retrospectives for the BBC. Mike went to school at Kelly College in Tavistock and is delighted to return to work with Big Noise and to this year’s festival.

Making a BIG NOISE

Mike Westbrook and his ensemble of internationally renowned jazz musicians, will be joined on stage by Tavistock's BIG NOISE student choir.The BIG NOISE choir was launched in November 2009, bringing together students aged 8 to 18 from schools across the Tavistock area.Weir Quay Boatyard has played a pivotal role in setting up the and sponsoring choir.  Starting from scratch and assuming no musical knowledge or experience, this is the first public performance for the choir on a professional stage. They have been taught and are directed by Marion Wood.

Marion Wood is a prize-winning conductor, graduate of the Royal College of Music and formerly the youngest Chorus Master to be appointed to a leading UK symphony chorus. Marion has worked internationally on opera, ballet and major symphonic works. Currently Director of Music at the University of Exeter, Marion thrives on encouraging musicians in every musical genre, including, Folk, Jazz, and Drum ‘n’ Bass.  She is also a composer of electronic music.

Glad Day and William Blake

Many of the songs in this collection come from the National Theatre’s 1971 musical, Tyger – a collaboration with playwright Adrian Mitchell celebrating the work of William Blake.The Glad Day settings have been recorded many times and performed worldwide, they are particularly associated with vocalists Phil Minton and Kate Westbrook. This full Choral Version was commissioned in 2007 for the London Festival of Contemporary Church Music and features some of our most original and talented jazz soloists.

Mike Westbrook (piano) “a Master of jazz orchestration”
Kate Westbrook (voice) “one of the UK's most individual singers.... a real actress of song”
Phil Minton (voice) “one of the most astounding ranges of vocal techniques on the planet”
Karen Street (accordion) “a superb textural player... radiates her brilliance”
Billy Thompson (violin) “dynamite on stage ... breathtaking performance”
Steve Berry (bass) “inspirational playing from a virtuoso string player”

William Blake, visionary poet and artist was born in London in 1757. Poor and largely ignored by the art establishment of the day, he published his own engraved and illustrated books, notably Songs of Innocence and Experience and Jerusalem. A Christian, but opposed to orthodox religion, he was regarded as eccentric and even politically dangerous. Throughout his life he railed against poverty, slavery and injustice. Blake is now regarded as one of the geniuses of English art.


Tickets £15 from the Wharf Arts Centre box office - 01822 611166 - or available on the door.
Find out more about BIG NOISE here
Visit here for more info on Mike Westbrook and Glad Day
Visit Tavistock Sings for more info on the Tavistock Music and Arts Festival 2010