Although John Surman's name headed the bill, this concert was a showcase for the talents of the Voice of the North Jazz Orchestra and its composer/leader, John Warren. Surman didn't even appear until the fifth number, by which time the band had steamrollered through a handful of Warren's swing tunes. Warren used these to lay out his wares; imaginative choral-like orchestrations, subtly shifting harmonies reminiscent of Gil Evans and moments of shrill, strident humour.

Surman's first number was another Warren piece entitled A Warm Front, for which he provided some folksy clarinet swoops. The English pastoral atmosphere was then abruptly broken by Soleil Stomp, a pearl-bright calypso tune with some funky drumming from Adrian Tilbrook.

But these were all merely warm-ups for the main event, a seven-part suite entitled Chain Reaction, which was composed by Warren especially for Surman. This was a wildly episodic work, betraying its genesis as a series of stitched-together musical fragments dating back a number of years. Surman's overture consisted of some tumultuous free blowing clarinet, after which the band surged forth with a John Barry-like theme that carried soloing saxophonist Rod Mason off into the stratosphere. Passages of urbane swing alternated with jagged brass'n'bass ostinatos, while slick blues vamps disintegrated into twittery free jazz.

By the third movement, Surman had switched to baritone sax, producing some gruff counter-themes to the band's sultry legato accompaniment. The high point was the funky fifth section, which came on like the theme tune to some imaginary New York cop show. There were hi-hat rhythms straight out of Saturday Night Fever, crisp horns paying tribute to the Average White Band and a steaming saxophone solo from Sue Ferris. Though it was occasionally convoluted and undeniably self-indulgent, Warren's suite could never be accused of predictability.