The Mike Fletcher Jazz Orchestra began life in Birmingham in 2006 as a group of young musicians with a shared love of the long and varied tradition of big band music from Count Basie and Duke Ellington to Thad Jones and beyond. Since this time the focus of the project has evolved along with Mike’s interest in more experimental large ensemble composition, although still retaining a clear link to the music’s rich history. The 12-piece line-up is slightly reduced from the more traditional ’16 men swinging’, and makes for a more nimble formation that nevertheless retains the power of a full big band.

• Jazz