AFTER playing to a sell-out crowd at this year's Darlington Jazz Festival the Durham Alumni Big Band are back in town for a Summer Gala Concert with an evening of swinging big band music from the 1950s to the present day.

The band is performing at Hummersknott Academy, Edinburgh Drive, Darlington on Sunday with internationally renowned trombonist Dennis Rollins, supported by the Vocal Collective.

Dennis is well known on the British and international jazz scene and is celebrated for his versatility and muscular approach to playing the trombone.

Born in 1964 in Birmingham and raised in South Yorkshire, Dennis cut his teeth at the age of 14 studying and performing in The Doncaster Youth Jazz Association. After years of study, Dennis moved to London and played with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra and the legendary all-black jazz big band The Jazz Warriors.

Over the years he has established a reputation as an artist of excellence, and has lent his unique and stylish talents to some of this country's and indeed the world's top jazz and pop personalities including Courtney Pine, Baba Maal, Jamiroquai, US3, Brand New Heavies, and Blur and until recently, was a member of the legendary funk-meister Maceo Parker's band.

In 2006 his own jazz/funk outfit Badbone & Co won the prestigious BBC Jazz Award for Best

Band and the following year he picked up Trombonist of the Year at both the British Jazz Awards and the Ronnie Scott's Jazz Awards.

Dennis was nominated twice in the 2008 Parliamentary Jazz Awards – for Jazz Musician of the Year and the Jazz Education Award. He won the latter in a ceremony hosted by Paul Gambaccini at the House of Commons, London.

In February 2008 at a ceremony in his hometown of Doncaster Dennis was given honorary freedom of the borough in recognition of his successful musical career and for his constant inspiration to the region's musical youth.

His latest band Velocity Trio won Band Of The Year (2012) in the Jazz Yorkshire Awards and he was named Player of The Year by the British Trombone Society in 2013.

The Durham Alumni Big Band is composed of past and present members of the Durham County Youth Big Band. Formers winners of the Great North Big Band Festival, they are guaranteed to put on a show.

The Vocal Collective are a Darlington-based community choir who sing for fun, offering a mixed repertoire from classic jazz standards to modern pop.

  • Doors open at 5.45pm, with the performance commencing at 6.30pm. Tickets are £6 on the door.