Wednesday's Mingus Big Band concert was, like a soccer match, a game of two halves. Throughout the first set, the band was dogged by untidy section work and persistent intonation problems in the reeds; it sounded rough, and though some might feel the late Charles Mingus would have approved, rough is still rough. In a set that included versions of Moanin', Fables Of Faubus, Self Portrait In Three Colours and Haitian Fight Song, some soloists impressed; trumpeter Philip Harper and altoist Abraham Burton on Faubus, with trombonist Conrad Herwig displaying astonishing technical virtuosity on Haitian Fight Song.

For the second set the band emerged transformed. The reeds still revealed some problems, but the ensemble work generally, especially the brass, was much better. Burton again impressed, this time on Gunslinging Bird, while on Oh, Lord, Please Don't Drop That Atom Bomb On Me, both trombonist Earl McIntyre and, particularly, tenor John Stubblefield's solos were full of drama, tension and tonal manipulation, expertly managed and well keyed emotionally. The vitality of Mingus's music came through at times in the ensembles - and the concert was received rapturously by a capacity house - but this was basically Mingus writ large; anyone expecting a really fresh look at his music would have been disappointed. At times the playing to the gallery was self-conscious and ersatz, but there were moments on Faubus and Atom Bomb where the ensemble caught that paradoxical mix of anger and in-your-face irony that was a characteristic of Mingus's work. As the band's tour progresses, no doubt more of this will emerge from the assembled talents.