THEY are a big band equally at home playing swing and that cool jazzy sound.

The Huddersfield University Big Band’s annual gig at the Lawrence Batley Theatre is always a big event.

It packs the theatre and there’s a great atmosphere. Why wouldn’t there be? This is a cracker of a band comprising some of the university’s most talented young musicians.

They are led by lecturer and band director Sean Miller who says there should be plenty to please big band fans in their concert on Friday February 8 (7.30pm).

“I auditioned for the band again back in September and so, as ever, we have a mix of experienced players and players new to the band,” said Sean.

“Inevitably at the end of the summer we lost some of the band as they graduated and moved on from the university. There are probably about five of the 20 musicians who are new to the band this year.

“They’ve been working really hard and our first big gig together was Marsden Jazz Festival in the autumn.

“It’s a great chance for the band. It puts them under pressure at the beginning of the year and it gets them into how we work as a band as we prepare for the LBT concert.

“It’s really important for the band that we audition every year and that we keep getting new players in.”

This year, one of the new additions is a mature student who has worked as a professional musician including pop.

“He plays clarinet and all the saxophones but came to the university to study classical saxophone,” said Sean.

“He is sharing the lead alto chair with a third year student. He has this pop background to go to and she is more from a classical background so it works really well.

“We’ve also got a brand new drummer, bass player and piano. So we have a brand new rhythm section which is the engine of the band so that was a concern having to find them. But they have done really well already.”

“We’ve also got ourselves a new singer, Ed Brown. Ed plays tenor saxophone but he’s kept it quiet that he can sing.

“He’s going to do something from Robbie Williams’ Swing When Your Winning album.

The band had intended to have Mike Hope as their guest at the LBT. Mike has been lead tenor saxophonist with the Syd Lawrence Orchestra since 1996 .

That’s not now possible and so Sean has re-arranged the programme – and exciting stuff it looks too.

There will be big band arrangements of classical pieces including movements from Duke Ellington’s interpretation of Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite.

Sean has also looked to the work of Gordon Goodwin and his 18-piece Big Phat Band.

Goodwin composes most, and arranges all, of the group's performance pieces, as well as playing piano and occasionally tenor saxophone. While using a similar instrumentation to the traditional big bands of the 1930s and 40s, the Big Phat Band has a highly contemporary sound.

Expect to hear that style from Huddersfield University Big Band as it plays Goodwin’s Bach 2 Part Invention In D Minor and his Mozart 40th Symphony in G minor.

“It’s a fantastic arrangement for big band. We wanted to do some big band arrangements of classical pieces,” said Sean.

“We did Ellington’s version of the Nutcracker Suite a few years ago which went down a treat. We hope our regular audience will enjoy these pieces.”

Tickets for this popular main stage gig from the box office on 01484 450528.