Pavillon, led by french horn player Jim Rattigan (photo: Pavillon).

French horn to the fore as Pavillon visit Jazz Hastings

Jim Rattigan is a rare thing in jazz: a French horn player who for many years has also headed and composed for his own 12-piece group called Pavillon. The band will be featured at Jazz Hastings’ next monthly session on 5 November. Julian Norridge reports.

Jim Rattigan founded Pavillon – it’s the French term for the bell of a French horn – in 2000. Since then the group, each member of which can safely be described as ‘a player of note’, have recorded five CDs, with another in the pipeline. This appearance will be part of an Arts Council-funded live tour.

Jim studied at Trinity College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music and for six years was a member of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. During that time he was also always playing jazz and eventually he decided to devote himself to it full time.

Jim Rattigan (photo: Eric Richmond).

Since then he has performed all over the world both as a jazz soloist and as a member of a wide variety of bands. He has written music for film, television and radio and worked with many mainstream artists, including Shirley Bassey, Tom Jones, Paul McCartney and Burt Bacharach, to name just a few. He has also toured with Tony Bennett.

In a review of one of Pavillon’s CDs, Dave Gelly in The Guardian described Rattigan as “a composer with a canny approach when it comes to combining the sounds of various instruments. The distinctive voice of the horn becomes familiar as it weaves among the saxophones and trumpets and takes its turn among the soloists.”

As well as Jim on French horn, the band features Martin Speake, Andy Panayi and Mick Foster on saxophones, Percy Purseglove, Steve Fishwisk and Robbie Robson on trumpets, Mark Nightingale and Sarah Williams on trombones, Hans Koller on piano, Dave Whitford on double bass and Gene Calderazzo on drums.

Together they are sure to produce some fireworks.

Pavillon Jazz Hastings, Tuesday 5 November, East Hastings Sea Angling Association (on the Stade behind the lifeboat station). Doors open 7.45pm for 8.30 start, tickets £10 on the door, £3 for under 18s.

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