While the collaborations of arranger/composer Gil Evans and jazz icon Miles Davis, produced some seminal albums, during the late 50s and early 60s, it’s not very often that you have the chance to hear their work in a live situation. For the near to capacity audience, that chance came in the form of the 1958 album Porgy and Bess, performed in its entirety, courtesy of the University of Southampton’s Progression Ensemble featuring Abram Wilson. From the dramatic opening notes of the albums first track, the Buzzard Song, it was evident that the complex arrangements of Evans were in safe hands. Led by musical director Dan Mar-Molinero, the group of young players stayed true to the feel of the albums original sound. With a strong trumpet and trombone section, Evans ability to make a big sound with so few instruments was carried off with ease.

Abram Wilson’s subtle and emotional playing was allowed to roam and at times soar throughout the evening, thanks in part to the solid foundation provided by the reeds of Rosie Stano, Teresina Morra, Anna Robinson and Lizzie Parkes. The rhythm section of double bass player Will Scott-Hartley and Alex Storksen-Coulson on drums held down the low end, allowing Wilson to prove why he is currently one of the hottest jazz trumpeters around. Wilson’s sound is layered with different and at times subtle textures; his ability to reach the higher notes, with more ease than Miles himself, added a new dimension to the overall sound.

With the score allowing for a certain level of improvisation, there was plenty of player interaction, particularly between Wilson and Scott-Hartley. As the final sounds of the albums last tune there’s a Boat Leaving Soon for New York faded away, they were replaced by loud and sustained applause. For a young Ensemble to not only attempt the work of Evans and Davis, but to deliver it with such a level of precession, as they did tonight, is a fitting tribute to two of the jazz world's greatest participants.