One of the big names in UK Jazz, Neil Ardley was offered the leadership of the seminal New Jazz Orchestra in 1964. Under his direction, the Orchestra moved through different styles and changes of personnel, bringing in musicians such as Mike Gibbs (trombone), Harry Beckett and Henry Lowther (trumpets) or even Jack Bruce (bass).
Some of them also contributed with the writing of some original compositions, making the NJO the root from which the UK’s 70’s jazz scene was to blossom. By 1972, the NJO was already defunct, but his legacy remained in the works of its members. Ardley’s A Symphony Of Amaranths is a perfect example of what was boiling in the UK jazz scene.
