WINTER 2016 THE TROMBONIST
BIG SHAKE-UP BY JANE SALMON
The Big Shake-Up exists to try to bring English finesse to the brass traditions of New Orleans and combine that with an exciting big band sound. This blend has already earned the group a reputation as one of the UK’s most innovative and exciting brass ensembles.
brass band tradition, which is military but would never just play something by ear.
I met the ensemble’s founder and trombone player, Jon Stokes. Jon is currently playing in Dreamgirls in London’s Savoy Theatre. Jon grew up in Gloucestershire and started the trombone aged 11. He is a busy freelancer and regularly plays with the John Wilson Orchestra, Syd Lawrence Orchestra and others too.
These are some of the finest London based players, each bringing their own voice to the group. The band is supported by a network of deps who not only keep the band functioning, but add their own contributions too.
On tour with the Heritage Orchestra in 2008, Jon was introduced to a new world of brass playing by the orchestra’s then tuba player Gavin Smart, who handed him recordings of Young Blood Brass Band, New Orleans Night Crawlers and Dirty Dozen Brass Band. Jon: “Coming up through the grade exams, youth orchestras and the Royal College of Music you don’t quite get introduced to those kinds of things. As soon as I heard those bands, I was amazed. These musicians learn their instruments by ear, the vibe is infectious but their playing is sometimes unrefined; they all have amazing things to say but lack the skillset to get the finesse across. This is a big contrast to the English 16
The idea behind our group has always been to combine the two ideas; New Orleans music, brought together with our brass traditions.” Jon pulled together a group of friends to form the Big Shake-Up (formerly Bad Ass Brass). The line-up has remained almost the same from the start and is now Jean-Paul Gervasoni, Paul Munday & Gavin Broom (trumpets), Jon Stokes (trombone) Sam Bullard and Gemma Moore (saxophones), Mike Poyser (sousaphone) and Jimmy Norden (drums).
Inspiration for the band’s line up came from Peter Long’s 9:20 De-Luxe a group that successfully found the sound of a big band, in a much smaller capacity. “It was the sound of three trumpets that gave the group the big band sound. That’s the only thing I changed from the New Orleans set up who might have just two trumpets, two trombones. I wanted the big, heavy big band sound. Our group doesn’t have a rhythm section as such, just drums and sousaphone. Like us, the New Orleans bands don’t have harmony instruments; they are marching and blowing all the time. Without a harmony instrument, the role of the drums changes to something to fill the gaps that a guitar or keyboard player might. We’ve got Jimmy Nordon who is one of the most expressive,
creative drummers who I have ever met. For our gig he is unbelievable – he’s constantly evolving – he never just sticks to a groove; he’s picking out what we’re doing but it’s busy when it needs to be. I think that’s how we have tried to get around the idea of no harmony instrument. It’s taken years of experimenting to figure out how to make that work.” How does it feel to be constantly blowing? “I think everyone in the band would say it’s the toughest gig we do – once you’ve done three Big Shake-Up sets in a row at Manchester’s Matt & Phred’s Jazz Club, you are exhausted. You’re just playing the whole time. If you’re not playing the tune, you’re playing a solo and if you’re not playing a solo you’re playing the backing line. We’re always trying to think of ways to give people rests. You get used to knowing where to back off; the New Orleans bands are just loud all the time (as even some bands are in this country) - it’s on your face the whole time. We wanted to add much more light and shade. That’s why we describe ourselves as a jazz band rather than a party or function band. A lot of our music is slow, dark and quiet.” As a child, Jon listened to Dave O’Higgins’ album Biggish Band - a record that shares a similar line up to The Big Shake-Up, but with the addition of guitar and Hammond organ. “This amazing album features Mark Nightingale on trombone and Oren Marshall on tuba. Oren would start up fantastic grooves that the double bass player would take over; then the rhythm section would keep it going for all of the