AS OPENING nights go, this had everything going for it: not only a full house, but a good mixed crowd, one of the most enthusiastic I’ve heard for some time, and a band in spectacularly good form.

Perhaps the fact it was televised for the BBC for later transmission had something to do with one or another of these.

As we’ve seen on their previous visits here, this is a consistently good band, but this evening it seemed strong in every department with outstanding solos from everyone, tremendous arrangements and a good, wellbalanced sound system.

The programme was The Best of Blue Note Records, marking the label’s 75th anniversary by focusing particularly on some of the definitive recordings made in the 1950s and 1960s.

As Marsalis pointed out, very few Blue Note albums were for big band so they have been specially orchestrated for this15-piece.

Any doubts I might have had about this approach were blown away by the first number, Senor Blues by Horace Silver. Rearranged by bass player Carlos Henriquez he had whole sections playing some of the original solos, all with accuracy, considerable respect and feeling for the original, and loads of swing.

This was clearly a band at its peak and, after a standing ovation, an encore of My Sweet Embraceable You played by Marsalis with the rhythm section was the icing on the cake.

Peter Bevan