From small group arrangements to orchestral suites
Duncan has been arranging for over thirty years and his skill in achieving extraordinary arrangements is second to none.
Gil Evans loved Duncan’s work, we have managed to get the first interview between Les Tomkins and Gil from our friends at Crescendo & Jazz Music Magazine where he talks of the first time he heard of Duncan in 1978:
L.T. What do you hear in big band writing today? Do you find a lot of imagination being applied to the idiom?
G.E. Yeah, there’s a lot of good writers—some in England, that you never heard of. When I was here before, somebody gave me some tape of a broadcast. This man wrote wonderful big band arrangements, and, you know, I’d never heard of him. Duncan Lamont—do you know him?
L.T. Yes, I do. He’s known as a tenor player, but he’s underrated as a writer.
G.E. Well he’s a fabulous writer for a big band. He’s not only underrated, but nobody ever heard of him—he’s not rated at all. He’s unknown. I even asked English people, and they don’t know who he is. But what he wrote was just marvellous.
L.T. When he reads this I hope it spurs him on to do some more.
G.E. I don’t imagine he’s discouraged. If you do that good, you’re always going to keep doing it, somehow. I’ll bet today he’s still writing, for something. I’d like to hear his writing now.