Henry Lowther celebrates his 85th birthday with the London Jazz Orchestra on Saturday 11 July, marking the occasion with the launch of Primetime, a double LP devoted to his music for the band.
The concert also celebrates 35 years of the London Jazz Orchestra, bringing together long-standing members and leading soloists in the resonant acoustic of the American International Church in central London.
A birthday, an orchestra anniversary and a new record
Saturday 11 July brings three connected celebrations into one concert. Henry Lowther turns 85, the London Jazz Orchestra reaches its 35th year, and Primetime, a new double LP of Lowther’s music for the orchestra, receives its official launch.
Lowther has spent more than 30 years as a member of the London Jazz Orchestra, and his playing and writing have become part of the band’s sound. The album gathers that work into a physical release while the concert places it back where it began, in the hands of a large ensemble of distinctive musicians.
The event takes place at the American International Church on Tottenham Court Road, a setting chosen for its clear, spacious acoustic. For a band built around detailed ensemble writing and strong individual voices, the room should allow both sides of the music to register: the full weight of the orchestra and the character of each soloist.
Lowther remains an active performer through his own band, Still Waters, and through long-standing musical relationships across British jazz. Primetime documents work by a living composer whose music continues to be played, developed and heard in concert.
Henry Lowther’s place in British jazz
Henry Lowther emerged during the 1960s, working with the John Dankworth Orchestra and a wide range of jazz, rock and pop artists. His career has since crossed big bands, small groups, studio sessions and major touring projects, while retaining a trumpet sound that listeners and fellow musicians recognise immediately.
His musical life has never followed a narrow route. Alongside jazz orchestras and improvising groups, he has appeared on recordings and stages across British popular music. That range helps explain why he has remained such a valued band member. Lowther brings precision, experience and a clear individual voice without overwhelming the music around him.
His current quintet, Still Waters, reflects another part of his work. The band draws on long musical relationships and original compositions, moving between lyrical writing, open improvisation and the close interaction of a classic jazz quintet. It also keeps Lowther’s own music in regular circulation beyond the large-ensemble setting.
Within the London Jazz Orchestra, his role extends beyond trumpet playing. The new album centres his writing for the ensemble, giving listeners the chance to hear how his melodic sense, harmonic language and understanding of orchestral colour operate on a larger scale.
HENRY LOWTHER’S 85TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION & PRIMETIME RECORD LAUNCH
Saturday 11 July, 7.30pm
American International Church
79 Tottenham Court Road, London, W1T 4TD
Tickets: £20
Ticket and signed, numbered double LP: £45
Bar and refreshments available
Primetime
Primetime is released by Analogue/October Records as a double LP devoted to Henry Lowther’s music for the London Jazz Orchestra. The label is best known for returning recordings from the past to print, with an emphasis on careful mastering, presentation and physical production.
This project sits outside the label’s usual reissue work. It has been developed to preserve and present the work of a living British jazz musician, using the same care normally applied to established catalogue recordings. The decision reflects the status of Lowther’s music and the wish to document it while the composer and orchestra remain closely connected to the repertoire.
The release is limited to 300 numbered and signed copies. Primetime presents his work as current repertoire, played by musicians who know the writing and understand how to give it shape in performance.
Thirty-five years of the London Jazz Orchestra
The London Jazz Orchestra has been resident at the Vortex Jazz Club since 1991. Directed by Scott Stroman, the orchestra has developed through regular performance, allowing new work to settle, change and gain detail over time.
Its repertoire is closely tied to its membership. Musicians associated with the orchestra have included Kenny Wheeler, John Taylor, Norma Winstone, Tim Garland, Nikki Iles and Pete Saberton. Their presence points to the level of writing and improvisation that has shaped the group over three and a half decades.
