A big band can seem like an unwieldy beast. For those who associate jazz with a band of four or five, the sound of 16 or more musicians all churning away at the same tune can be overwhelming and indistinct, a loud smear of sound with no distinguishing features and few noteworthy solos. Big Colours, on the other hand, is a big band that avoids the pitfalls. Put together over a year ago by drummer and Spin organiser Mark Doffman and trumpeter David Shears, their repertoire omits many of the big band standards, preferring fine arrangements of pieces by Pat Metheny, Chick Corea, Frank Zappa and Steely Dan.

The second inspirational idea was to get together a group of top players who would not need hours of rehearsal. The band also contains a wide spectrum of personal styles reflected in the soloing of the astonishingly powerful front line players. This is, therefore, a big band that brings freshness to the sound through a more unusual choice of pieces, an enthusiasm on stage that would be lost with too much rigorous rehearsal and a real sense of colourful individuality.

It is unfeasible to mention everyone here but Callum Au on trombone, a leading member of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra and a name to look out for, played with both astonishing dexterity and great phrasing. Among the saxes Binker Golding on tenor has a fine post-bebop sound, once he got into his stride, while on alto Lucas Dodd played right in the bebop hole in a wonderful rendition of Loverman. Meanwhile, behind the soloists, Mark Doffman on drums did a superb job of keeping the pulse and slotting in some perfect linking sections on the longer pieces. Behind him, again the unsung heroes of every big band, the bass, bass trombone and baritone sax held the rhythm and underpinned the harmonies.

This was altogether a joyous evening of big band ensemble work and soloing from a group that by its very nature comes together for a gig and then disperses until the next. Look out for Big Colours wherever they might next be appearing in Oxford.