To Barbican Wednesday evening to catch latest Serious  Jazz gig- posted here as I think both ensembles essay classical forms.

When I saw the Porticos advertised I assumed it was the latest guise of some dodgy landlords of that name under whose roof I  dwelt with my ex-partner some years back. Sort of Lebanese version of The Ladykillers somewhat perturbed by unaddressed shower leak from ours above dripping onto their desks.

But no, behold quartet held together by 'Hand Drums' saith the programme -a pair of tuned Tagines with about 9 pitches like a steel drum with  a dash of marimba in the timbre. Insistent and scarcely  varied riffs on these, some sub-Surman sax and busy drumming , occasional bass solo. Traddy bloke next to me remarkede on lack of melody and I think he was right. Andy Narrell on  steel pans does this sort of thing more effectively I think, but the attempt to do minimalism may yet yield better music  in this John Adamsish direction.

Maria Schneider and her 25-piece orchestra-standard big band plus Brazilian accordion, rythmn section sometimes independent of the horns who included a brilliant bass clarinettist and a uniquely lyrical trumpetter and flugel player Ingrid Jensen. The delicacy, intricacy,  sensitivity and anthemic sincerity (and fun) of it all was just exemplary-nothing overdone and very subtle even in tutta forza. 'The Pretty Road', childhood ragbag reminiscence of rural Minnesota, best thing of the evening imho, but Cerulean Skies, with a Messiany ear for broken  consort birdsong in flight from Amazon to Central Park had unassuming symphonic breadth . Altogether brilliant and a shame the weather put people off.

Sign of the times-bluestockingy ladies trying to flog tickets of awol partners to  punters in the queue half-price. Probably against venue regs?

Anyway, Maria's album 'Sky Blue' (Artist Share) warmly recommended, not least if you don't normally like 'big bands' -this could be a baroque orchestra so nimble is it.