Nubya Garcia brings a modern edge to Stan Getz’s Focus at Royal Festival Hall

In the 1950s, American composer Gunther Schuller coined the term ‘third stream’ to refer to the genre that straddles the improvisational freedoms of jazz and the precise orchestrations of classical music. Third stream music was the central inspiration for this gig at London’s Southbank Centre, which featured 2021 Mercury Prize-nominated tenor saxophonist Nubya Garcia alongside a 32-piece string ensemble, the Nu Civilisation Orchestra (NCO).

The centrepiece of the gig was a reinterpretation of Stan Getz’s seminal 1962 album Focus. Composed by Eddie Sauter as a seven-part suite for string orchestra and tenor saxophone, Focus is reminiscent of an improvised classical concerto packed full of highly syncopated rhythms, walking basslines, and colourful jazz harmonies. Garcia and the NCO opened their set with the frenetic track ‘I’m Late, I’m Late’, a composition which blends staccato motifs from Béla Bartók's Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta with the flowing bebop lines of Sonny Rollins. In direct contrast, the following tracks ‘Her’ and ‘I Remember When’ had strong romantic, cinematic qualities, a backdrop to which Garcia displayed her delicate altissimo and lyrical phrasing.

‘Night Rider’ was a particular highlight, exhibiting strong blues influences that allowed Garcia to display the bottom end growl and metallic bite of her tenor. Throughout, Garcia and the NCO navigated this challenging and varied repertoire with impressive technical craft and emotional expression. They remained faithful to Sauter’s wonderful original arrangements, yet Garcia often found subtle ways to bring a more modern edge to Getz’s phrasing.

The amazing chemistry between Garcia and the NCO members had much to do with their shared musical roots. The saxophonist is an alumna of Tomorrow’s Warriors, the jazz talent development organisation founded in 1991 by British jazz bassist Gary Crosby OBE that works to champion young black, female, and underprivileged jazz musicians. The NCO is a more recent Tomorrow’s Warriors project, founded in 2008 under musical director Peter Edwards. The evening was therefore a wonderful display of musical creativity as well as celebration of Tomorrow’s Warriors extraordinary contributions to the UK jazz scene over the past three decades.

The gig also featured two new original compositions by black British composers, Peter Edwards’ Ricochet and Oleta Haffner’s Chemy. Commissioned by Tomorrow’s Warriors, these third stream compositions were ideal companion pieces to Focus. Shimmering orchestrations combined with driving drums beats, creating space for expressive improvised solos from violin, viola, cello, and harp. Highly ambitious, and highly accomplished.