After Work, They Play Jazz

I’m lucky enough to have been part of one of the greatest musical communities in London for the last 9 years: the South London Jazz Orchestra.

In that time, I’ve met hundreds of people, played countless gigs and watched a weekly rehearsal turn into much more than just 100-odd musicians sitting in a room playing jazz.

After Work, They Play Jazz is a photo essay consisting of portrait photos I took between 2022 and 2025. It follows 8 jazz musicians through the music, the travel, and a pinch of the offstage life which comes with being part of a community big band.

(With thanks: Josh, Emma, Sarah, Will, Nigel, Malcolm, Lydia, Kieran)

Before the First Note

I’ve played in more bands than I can remember.

Even in sets of 4-6 musicians, setting up can be…a hassle, to put it mildly. Scale that up to ensembles of 40+ and, if you aren’t careful, you end up with pandemonium.

Thankfully, with willing participants and experienced management, it goes smoothly (most of the time).

A jazz tenor saxophone musician preparing his instrument — *Instead of competing with 20 other musicians for table space, we usually make do with anywhere*

A jazz musician holding an alto sax moving around a crowded band — *Getting into position; harder than it looks in an area full of stands, seats and…well, other musicians*

A jazz drummer casually practicing before a performance — *After setup, before audience: perfect moment for one last check*

A jazz musician in an administrative role, helping the band to prepare — *A band always needs someone who knows what’s meant to be happening; ideally more than one*

The Point Of It All

Eventually the tables, chairs and instruments are all set up—not to mention the cables (…so many cables).

Players get into position, await the conductor expectantly and broadly act like we know what we’re doing.

And the moment the conductor has emerged and counted us into the first piece? It’s the moment we know it was all worth it: that moment everyone stops being separate people carrying awkwardly shaped objects and becomes a big band.

A really big, big band.

A jazz musician passionately playing a baritone saxophone — *This photo doesn’t do the bari sax justice*

A jazz trombone player pointing his instrument at the camera — *Trombone: possibly the only instrument that needs musical capability as well as spatial awareness*

A jazz trumpet player in performance — *Once the brass gets involved, you know they mean business*

A jazz trumpet player performing in a tight corner — *Up for a really great gig? Try cramming 4 trumpets and your rhythm section in a tiny corner*

A jazz musician wearing sunglasses and playing an alto saxophone in a band outdoors — *Alto sax, made to look way easier than it actually is*

Three jazz drummers all playing the same kit at the same time — *Sometimes the drummers gang up on the kit*

Waiting Your Turn…

Not all of jazz is bombastic solos and playing as loudly as you can.

In an ensemble, there are invariably passages where you’re sitting back and letting other people have their moment. Why is it that skilled musicians tend to be good at maths? Turns out we’re great at counting.

We’ve had a LOT of practice.

Or sometimes, we just get lost in the sheet music and hope for the best.

A jazz musician holding a baritone saxophone in a band, waiting for their turn to play — *Sometimes they hold their instrument expectantly and count bars…*

A jazz tenor sax player holding up his instrument in a band — *…or, they might hold their instrument up and make a face at the photographer.*

A jazz musician with an alto sax awaiting her turn to play — *Sometimes they patiently stare at the sheet music until it’s their turn again…*

A jazz musician playing a shaky egg — *…or maybe they sit next to the kit and play the shaky egg.*

Doubling Up

Speaking of playing lots of instruments (shaky egg absolutely counts as an instrument), in a band like this, people rarely only do one thing.

Some take charge of the sound. Some lead the community or manage gigs.

And some just play myriad instruments, filling whatever role the band needs that day.

A jazz singer in performance — *Trumpet / Vocals; our horn players sometimes get up to the front and sing*

A jazz musician holding a sousaphone — *Trumpet / Sousaphone; once a brass player, always a brass player (even when it’s plastic)*

A jazz musician conducting a big band outdoors — *Alto Sax / Conducting; when needed, some musicians can step away from the instrument and move behind the conductor’s stand*

A jazz musician playing a soprano saxophone in a shared solo with a clarinet player — *Bari sax / Soprano sax; duelling with a clarinet*

The Jazz Face Is Real

Jazz is a serious music tradition.

And we take it VERY seriously (except when we don’t).

It needs us to count bars, play solos, and generally just play perfectly, especially when an audience has high expectations of us.

Thankfully, there are no wrong notes in jazz.

A jazz tenor sax player making a silly face at the camera during a performance — *The face of a man who knows exactly what he’s doing (I think)*

A jazz drummer shrugging at the camera — *The face of someone who’s seen the chart—and opted for emotional distance*

A jazz musician passionately playing a baritone saxophone in the middle of an improvised solo — *As someone who was there, I can promise you: the solo was as epic as the expression*

A jazz trombone player standing up and playing in a band — *Jazz face: not just a technical requirement, but a lifestyle choice*

The Other Half of the Band

It’s not all bombastic shouts, improvised solos and setting up cables/chairs.

Jazz musicians, especially in a community big band like this one, can often be spotted in pubs, bars, beer gardens and the occasional café.

When we’re there in groups, good times are guaranteed.

A woman holding up a can of ginger ale — *Hydration…technically.*

A man appreciating a small glass of beer — *Evaluation and appreciation in one shot*

A man drinking coffee outdoors — *Important preparation for a day of jazz musicianship*

A jazz musician tucking into a pastry — *A glamorous life, captured between bites*

A man with a slightly glazed look in a social setting — *I think he’s still mentally packing away the PA*

A man holding a parasol and smiling — *Every band has at least one member who properly commits to the bit*

The Places Jazz Takes You

And then, why stick to your locals when you can travel far and wide?

One of the ways we’re incredibly lucky to have a community like this one is how we get opportunities to bring the music out of our home city and often abroad.

Not all of this looks a lot like jazz, but I’d still say it counts.

A man at the top of Arthur's Seat in front of the Edinburgh skyline — *Hillwalking is part of jazz, now (the top of Arthur’s Seat, Edinburgh)*

A woman smiling on a boat during a colourful sunset — *A beautiful view at sunset (on a boat near the Albufera de Valencia, Spain)*

A man nonchalantly staring into the distance outdoors — *A trip to appreciate history (the garden of Castle Loppem, Zedelgem*, *Belgium)*

A jazz trombone player sat on Brighton beach on a sunny day — *A long way from the bandstand…but near a favourite chippy of ours (Brighton Beach, the UK)*

More Than the Music

And then, the instruments return to their cases, we pack up and go home—but not without the incredible memories shared with other members of this inimitable band.

The music is the obvious part.

The rest is what makes it last: the friendships, the routines, the trips, the jokes and the small weekly decision to keep showing up.

After work, they play jazz. And somehow, that turns into much more than music.

Tommy McDevitt: author, photographer and founder of Tommy McDevitt Photography.

Written by Tommy McDevitt

Tommy is a London-based portrait photographer, marketer, engineer and musician. His work focuses on relaxed portraits, useful photos and documentary-style photo essays, with a practical eye for how images are seen, shared and used.