Julian Siegel has been making difficult things sound natural on most kinds of reed instrument since the mid-1990s, and since led consistently punchy and creative small groups too. But Tales From The Jacquard startlingly lengthens the list of his multiple talents. Following the Derby Jazz organisation's backing for a 2017 big band tour, and a commission for a new extended work on an East Midlands theme to go with it, Siegel expanded several of his small-group pieces, and wrote the new three-part suite of this fine album's title, named after the machinery of the region's famous lacemaking industry. The swelling rhythmic whirr of the machines in action opens the set, before slow exhalations of luminous, Mike Gibbs-reminiscent harmonies give way to Gene Calderazzo's hustling swing and a tumbling, squealing postbop trumpet break from Claus Stotter. Minimalist ostinatos, brass fanfares and some airborne Tori Freestone flute shape the second section, and the superb third part shifts from an urgent, faintly sinister theme to fast bebop accented by Basie-like riffs. The deliciously dirgey ‘Blues’ recalls Gary Burton's and Steve Swallow's ‘Country Roads’, ‘Song’ is a warmly whispering ballad, and Cedar Walton's ‘Fantasy in D’ (the only cover) features a headlong two-tenor chase between Siegel and Stan Sulzmann. Tales From The Jacquard is a very powerful belated big-band debut for an artist who sounds in fine shape to make an enthralling habit of it.

Jazzwise spoke to Julian Siegel about his new album

Did Derby Jazz put this idea in your mind by asking for a Midlands theme, or had you already envisaged telling this personal family story in music?

I'd long wanted to write for larger ensembles, and expanded some small-band pieces for orchestras including Voice of the North, NYJO, and the Birmingham and Guildhall conservatoire big bands. Then Geoff Wright and Derby Jazz, alongside Anne Rigg at Right Tempo, Arts Council England, and EMJAZZ, got behind an orchestral project for me – and for a 2017 debut tour, Derby asked me to write a piece with an East Midlands theme. I chose the Nottingham lace trade, which my family was involved in for over 50 years.

Including your dad, who was also a music fan, and who told you he'd imagined conducting music to the rhythms of the lace-making machines…

I was very fortunate to visit Cluny Lace, and saw their beautiful J acquard machines in action, with rolls of punch-cards transmitting the patterns to the looms. That great sound of the machines working together brought back many memories of visiting my dad's factory. He always loved music – he entertained troops in WW2 as a singer-guitarist, and he and my mum would listen to Basie, Ellington, Ella, and much classical music, as my mum still does. Dad was also a fully paid up member of the Count Basie Society!

The LP title refers to the Jacquard punch-cards that ran the looms. How did you make use of them?

Looking at just one Jacquard card in detail turned out to be a really surprising and fun way of generating musical ideas. I used it as a starting point for melodies, rhythms, and some orchestration and harmonic ideas – but I didn't want to get caught up in all the maths and numerical systems. I wanted to have fun with it, and leave plenty of space for improvising soloists. The album's booklet explains this process in more detail.

Touring and recording with such a terrific orchestral lineup is a rare privilege. You must have a lot of special memories from it.

A particularly amazing one was hearing the band first play in rehearsal and see and hear what they did with these pieces! And the Nottingham gig – which was recorded for Radio 3's Jazz Now and used for this album -was especially memorable because my mum, sisters and brother and their families were all there.

This has been a very hard year for music-making. How has it been for you?

During the lockdown, I was really glad to have the big project of mixing this album, working with the designer, and writing the liner notes. My brilliant regular mixing engineer, Chris Lewis, was stuck in Argentina part of the time, so we did some of it online using an incredible audio-streaming app called Audiomovers, which was amazing. But of course I've really missed the shared experience of live music. I really look forward to getting back on the road.