The Donut Kings | 'Sweet Time Suite' (k. Wheeler) | Live at the Sheldonian

Oxford’s sweetest big band sound returns for one night only to Oxford’s live jazz scene, having prepared some of the hardest jazz repertoire there is to learn: Kenny Wheeler’s ‘Sweet Time Suite’.

-Kenny Wheeler: ‘Sweet Time Suite’
“I have always loved beautiful melodies. I must be a little twisted because beautiful sad melodies make me feel very happy - because they communicate to me.”* It is characteristic of Wheeler’s music that his gift of melody should drive the Suite in this way; in amidst the broad spectrum of synthetic and quartal harmonic writing, dense scoring, and intense, multi-layered grooves, the magically nostalgic qualities of Wheeler’s melodies stand out above all. So much of the Suite appears to be driven by bitter sweetness: the soft, yet wordless, use of the voice; the heart-wrenching chorale both opening and closing the suite (described by some as the ‘sunrise’ and ‘sunset’ of the journey); the dramatic showcasing of numerous soloists in amongst agitated musical textures. Given the subtle nuances of light and dark experienced throughout, it is perhaps emblematic that the few lyrics of the entire Suite - heard in Part III - contain the words ‘Though her smile hints at sadness, it echoes with fun’.
*Kenny Wheeler in interview with Fred Sturm, October 1997

-The Donut Kings
Formed in 2001, the Donut Kings have gone from strength to strength to become one of Oxford University’s hottest student bands. We are formed of twenty of the university’s finest and most dedicated student jazz musicians, performing all kinds of repertoire from Fitzgerald, Sinatra, and Basie, to Nestico, Goodwin, and Earth Wind & Fire, specialising in big band swing, funk, and fusion genres. Throughout each year, the band performs at Oxford University’s prestigious college balls, also venturing out into the London scene for corporate events. As part of our summer tour, we will be travelling to the Jazz à Vienne festival in Lyon, France, and Kafé Antzokia in Bilbao, Spain, amongs