The Callum Au Big Band plays West Side Story: Remixed
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BIG BAND SUNDAY LUNCHES
AT DEAN ST

Sunday November 24

The Callum Au Big Band
plays West Side Story:
Remixed

Pizza Express Jazz Club, Dean Street, Soho, London

Part of the EFG London Jazz Festival

Another concert in our successful Big Band Sunday lunchtimes at Dean Street, sees the venue debut of the outstanding Callum Au Big Band, playing loads of material from Callum’s inspiring arrangements in his original 2013 album of the music from Leonard Bernstein’s revolutionary musical, West Side Story.

Callum Au is a British composer, arranger, orchestrator, and trombonist. He writes music across a wide range of genres, with a particular passion for big band and large jazz ensemble music. He is highly regarded for his stylistic awareness and versatility and has worked with some of the world’s biggest artists. 

Born in London to a Scottish mother and a Chinese father, Callum spent most of his formative years in Blackpool before moving to London, where he now lives and works.

Over the past fifteen years, Callum has established himself as one of the busiest arrangers and orchestrators in Europe. He has had the privilege of writing music for many international artists, including Quincy JonesJamie CullumRandy Brecker, and ensembles including the SWR Big Band, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Britten Sinfonia. In 2019, he was commissioned to arrange the big band songs in the Hollywood movie adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘Cats’. More recently, he had the pleasure of writing two new arrangements for Michael Bublé’s album ‘Higher’, and conducting the BBC Concert Orchestra in a special episode of ‘Sunday Night Is Music Night’ for BBC Radio 2.

Callum is increasingly in demand as a composer for classical ensembles, with his flair for arresting melodies and lush complex harmony proving popular with audiences and musicians alike. Recent commissions include works for Inner City Brass at the Spitalfields and Ryedale Festivals and pieces recorded and performed by the Metropole Orkest and the Tippett Quartet.

Leonard Bernstein was a titan of music creativity in the 20th  Century. Among his litany of great writing is the score for his ground breaking stage show West Side Story. This music features highly in the repertoire of today’s greatest musicians. Callum brings his own creativity and imagination to this marvellous music which will dominate this LJF concert along with arrangements from his repertoire of big band writing.

Callum has been the jazz trombonist with the Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Orchestra since 2012, one of the UK’s premier large jazz ensembles, with a performance schedule to match. He has also composed or arranged a substantial proportion of the band’s current working repertoire.

Here’s a remarkable example of Callum’s creativity with his arrangement of “Sing, Sing, Sing” played by the Louis Dowdeswell Big Band

 

This will be an outstanding musical feast in the EFG London Jazz Festival programme at Pizza Express Jazz Club Dean Street.

“The remarkable young arranger Callum Au is already a master of the mysterious art of orchestration and arranging” – Dave GellyThe Observer

 

Performers in this Callum Au Big Band include these star musicians

Trumpets - Tom Walsh, Louis Dowdeswell, James Davison, Freddie Gavita

Trombones - Andy Wood, Robbie Harvey, Barry Clements, Callum Au
 
Saxes - Simon Marsh, Sam Mayne, Graeme Blevins, Martin Williams, Jon Shenoy
 
Bass - Laurence Ungless 
 
Drums - Ed Richardson 
 
Piano - Chris Eldred

Vocals - Emma Smith — 

**Emma has just been shortlisted for the Parliamentary Jazz Awards 2024 Best Singer**

 

Doors at Noon

Music at 1pm

Tickets £45

 

 

Join for Fantastic Big Band Music at

Pizza Express Jazz Club

Dean St, Soho, London

 

Other forthcoming events in this series

The Gareth Lockrane Big Band - Three 2025 Sunday lunchtime concerts
@Pizza Express Live: Dean Street
Sun 9th Feb 2025 1PM Jazz
Simon Spillett Big Band – The music of Tubby Hayes
@Pizza Express Live: Dean Street

Simon Spillett Big Band
– The music of Tubby Hayes

BIG BAND SUNDAY LUNCHES
AT DEAN ST

Sun 2nd Mar 2025 1PM Jazz
Pete Cater Big Band – The Great Drum Show
@Pizza Express Live: Dean Street

Pete Cater Big Band
– The Great Drum Show

BIG BAND SUNDAY LUNCHES
AT DEAN ST

Sun 30th Mar 2025 1PM Jazz
The Gareth Lockrane Big Band - Three 2025 Sunday lunchtime concerts
@Pizza Express Live: Dean Street
Sun 1st Jun 2025 1PM Jazz
The Gareth Lockrane Big Band - Three 2025 Sunday lunchtime concerts
@Pizza Express Live: Dean Street
Sun 26th Oct 2025 1PM Jazz