Internationally acclaimed Scottish saxophonist Tommy Smith will play a solo concert in Aberdeen’s St Machar’s Cathedral later this month.
A regular visitor to Aberdeen, the Edinburgh-born musician has appeared in venues in the city ranging from The Blue Lamp to His Majesty’s Theatre.
He brought the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra, which he founded and directs, to the St Machar’s Cathedral with American singer Kurt Elling in 2017.
“I’d seen St Machar’s from the outside quite a few times before that,” says Smith who has toured the world with leading musicians including virtuoso Gary Burton and Norwegian bass master Arild Andersen.
“I’m fascinated by old buildings generally and I can remember thinking it would be a great place to play a concert even before I got a chance to play my saxophone inside the church.”
Tommy Smith will play St Machar’s Cathedral later this month
In recent years, Smith has also been performing solo and is excited to once again play in St Machar’s Cathedral later this month – on Thursday July 8.
Smith sees this concert as a “celebration of melody”.
He said: “People may think about what we’ve been through over the past 15 months and get to enjoy the possibility of being able to share live music events again after the enforced silence.
“There won’t be any amplification, just the natural sound of the saxophone. I’m really looking forward to playing and hearing the notes linger in the air in St Machar’s Cathedral which has such a special atmosphere.”
Going solo thanks to missed ferry
The talented musician made his solo debut at a festival in the Hebrides when the drummer he was due to duet with missed his ferry and the promoters suggested that he could entertain the audience while waiting for the next ferry to arrive.
“That was a baptism of fire,” he said. “I just had to wing it and fortunately nobody threw anything at me. I’ve since made a solo album in Hamilton Mausoleum, and more recently I’ve played in a few churches and abbeys including Dunfermline Abbey, which was very special because Robert the Bruce’s tomb was right behind me.”
During the pandemic, Smith has kept busy with the jazz course he founded at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow in 2009. As the founder and director of the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra, he also oversaw the editing and release of a set of videos that were posted online.
He also directed Where Rivers Meet, which saw the orchestra collaborate with Russian-born, Edinburgh-based artist Maria Rud, who painted live in response to the music.
