The Grand Union Orchestra's most ambitious community ventures may have roped in nearly 300 participants, but they had to cut their lineup by half to fit on the stage of the Vortex. Even as a 10-piece, this groundbreaking outfit made an appropriately exultant noise to celebrate its 25th anniversary. Trombonist and composer Tony Haynes started the band in the 80s to reflect the UK's changing cultural landscape, and to give young hopefuls from diverse backgrounds a chance to work with premier-league jazz players. As Haynes has matured as a writer, the balance has levelled between laudable intentions and a vibrant music that stands up in its own right.

In this performance, the band sounded intriguingly reminiscent of the South African big band Brotherhood of Breath, both in joyous, repeated African chants that chased and echoed each other, and in the squall and swoop of its brass sounds. Haynes often focuses on the journey linking traditional west African culture, Latin and jazz music, and so an underlying commentary of garrulous percussion was rarely far away.

Percussionist/singer Josefina Cupido then unfurled a plaintive, yodelling African song against Louise Elliott's flute and the deep chanting of the band members. An uptempo Latin feature followed in which trumpeters Byron Wallen and Claude Deppa swapped fizzing ascents into the upper register.

Cupido, a light-toned but eloquently resourceful singer with a rhythmic drive, then delivered a more expository, personal song in English, in which the band fell back into an accompanying role and sounded a shade becalmed. But they erupted again for a fast, swinging finale full of punchy brass motifs, with Tony Kofi's fiery free-jazz alto sax careering through the melee.