Jazz breaking news: Dave Douglas plays piece dedicated to Kenny Wheeler at the Royal Academy of Music

In London, since Monday, workshopping and mentoring students as the Academy’s first international jazz artist in residence, Douglas’ radical vision made overt on such scaldingly pointed albums as Witness was plain even joking that the Duke's Hall was somewhere he wanted to be – as he was a big admirer of Duke Ellington! Jazz royalty, Douglas later announced, was in the hall and he looked to the back near the entrance doors to locate none other than the great Kenny Wheeler, sat in a wheelchair – and who waved back at him, smiling broadly. The first half highlight was pleasingly given Wheeler’s presence Douglas’ tender, softly unfolding piece ‘From Thin Air (for Kenny Wheeler)’. During the concert Nick Smart, head of jazz announced that the Royal Academy of Music is to be the recipient of Wheeler's archive of original music, a significant addition to the famed Marylebone Road institution’s resources for the study, research and practice of jazz now and in the future.

The second half when Douglas soared with his naggingly pure, astringently urgent sounds that scale notes at the high end of the register as if they were the flimsiest of hurdles with a candour and characterfulness, visibly impressed some of the students listening to him play, as well as, judging by the applause, large sections of the audience. ‘From Thin Air’ interestingly used the voice of Kwabena Adjepong solely as an instrument within the ensemble while John Arman’s confident guitarisms (in the mould of Brad Shepik) jutted out, only serving to accentuate that this wasn’t about individuals but the ensemble.

The Academy Big Band in the second half boasted a very strong trumpet section, martial at times in terms of power and menace but also virtuosic without resorting to the usual dispiriting clichés of big bands. The brass never beat up the audience or decided to swing lumpenly along. Douglas playing with the big band subverted the sceptically patriotic impulses of some of his own compositions, and was witty aided by fine student playing across the sections. Standout of the evening was ‘Campaign Trail’, which Douglas has run out at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival with his own small group – the optimistic sounding piece inspired by Barack Obama's successful run for President four years ago. The piece clearly has legs and it also allowed for some fine tenor sax playing in the Donny McCaslin manner. The big band had plenty of confidence, ideas and the right spirit. Working with Douglas as this performance indicated must have been as stimulating to experience as it was fascinating to observe.

– Stephen Graham