After Work, They Play Jazz | Tommy McDevitt Photography

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 which 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).

*Instead of competing with 20 other musicians for table space, we usually make do with anywhere*

*Getting into position; harder than it looks in an area full of stands, seats and…well, other musicians*

*After setup, before audience: perfect moment for one last check*

*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 and we 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.

*This photo doesn’t do the bari sax justice*

*Trombone: possibly the only instrument that needs musical capability as well as spatial awareness*

*Once the brass gets involved, you know they mean business*

*Up for a really great gig? Try cramming 4 trumpets and your rhythm section in a tiny corner*

*Alto sax, made to look way easier than it actually is*

*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.

After all, we’ve had a LOT of practice.

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

*Sometimes they hold their instrument expectantly and count bars…*

*…or, they might hold their instrument up and make a face at the photographer.*

*Sometimes they patiently count the bars until it’s their turn again…*

*…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.

*Trumpet / Vocals; our horn players sometimes get up to the front and sing*

*Trumpet / Sousaphone; once a brass player, always a brass player (even when it’s plastic)*

*Alto Sax / Conducting; when needed, some musicians can step away from the instrument and move behind the conductor’s stand*

*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.

*The face of a man who knows exactly what he’s doing (I think)*

*The face of someone who’s seen the chart—and opted for emotional distance*

*As someone who was there, I can promise you: the solo was as epic as the expression*

*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.

*Evaluation and appreciation in one shot*

*Important preparation for a day of jazz musicianship*

*A glamorous life, captured between bites*

*I think he’s still mentally packing away the PA*

*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 wide and far?

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.

*Hillwalking is part of jazz, now (the top of Arthur’s Seat, Edinburgh)*

*A beautiful view at sunset (on a boat near the Albufera de Valencia, Spain)*

*A trip to appreciate history (the garden of Castle Loppem, Zedelgem*, *Belgium)*

*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.