Internationally renowned Scottish saxophonist Tommy Smith leads one of Europe's leading jazz orchestras in a personal and spiritual journey of discovery. Featuring the cream of Scotland's thriving jazz scene, 'Torah' is orchestral jazz at its most powerfully expressive. Originally written by Smith for American saxophone giant Joe Lovano, 'Torah' now features the composer as both lead soloist and director of an orchestra of outstanding talents. The music is robust, crisply written and beautifully detailed, using horns as commentators as well as supporters and a brilliant rhythm section as the dynamic base for Smith's, by turns tender and rugged, but always heartfelt, improvisations on strong, memorable themes. Encapsulating the first five books of the Bible in an extended jazz composition, Smith has taken the creation story common to the Christian, Jewish and Islamic faiths and created music that, drawing on the jazz and blues traditions and without harbouring grand ambitions of healing spiritual division, is highly approachable, stimulating and ultimately rewarding.
