AN EVENING OF NON-STOP BIG BAND CLASSICS
featuring Matthew Ford & Nicola Emmanuelle
as seen on SKY ARTS
Click here to order the DVD and Double CD
Tracing the history of Jazz from Louis Armstrong’s New Orleans, we celebrate a century of Swing. From the golden age of Basie, Miller, Ellington, Goodman and Ted Heath, through to current artists Harry Connick Jr and Michael Bublé. We’ll pay tribute to legends Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald along the way.
FROM PAUL WHITEMAN TO MICHAEL BUBLÉ
In 1919 Paul Whiteman formed what is considered to be the first ever big band, the Paul Whiteman Orchestra. His 1924 recording of Rhapsody In Blue with composer George Gershwin at the piano was a seminal piece in establishing the genre. Our concert begins here and works its way through the subsequent century of swing.
The 1930s saw the proliferation of bandleaders such as Benny Goodman, with his famous 1938 Carnegie Hall concert a milestone in jazz history. Goodman’s contemporaries such as Duke Ellington, Artie Shaw and Count Basie moved the art-form forward at such a pace that, by the mid-1940s, it was a craze that had swept the globe.
The sound of Glenn Miller is perhaps the most recognisable of all the bands. In The Mood is to this day, the most played big band tune of all time. We stop here for a moment before travelling to Britain for Ted Heath And His Music.
From the 1950s, the singers took the throne in the world of swing. Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat “King” Cole, Bobby Darin, Peggy Lee and Sammy Davis Jr proved that big bands were still the order of the day, just as long as there was a vocalist!
There was still a great deal of popularity for the likes of Maynard Ferguson and Buddy Rich through the 1960s, 70s and 80s. Then along came Harry Connick Jr and Michael Bublé bringing us right up-to-date.
This abridged history lesson on 100 Years of Big Bands lays the foundations for a concert including such classics as…
Rhapsody In Blue, Sing Sing Sing, In The Mood, I’ve Got You Under My Skin, S’ Wonderful, Splanky, New York New York, Moondance and many more.
MATT FORD & NICOLA EMMANUELLE
Joining the 17 piece Len Phillips Swing Orchestra are two of Britain’s finest singers. Matthew Ford is perhaps best known for his work with the John Wilson Orchestra, including 6 appearances at the BBC Proms. Since playing the part of Ella Fitzgerald in the West End show The Rat Pack: Live From Las Vegas, Nicola Emmanuelle has become known as one of the most outstanding singers in Britain today.
UPCOMING CONCERTS
