The Swing era still lives - a little

[fragger]

If anyone here likes big band music from the 30s-40s, they may be interested in this.

I caught a really cool act tonight, the "Glenn Miller Orchestra" (not the original, obviously ) They're an American tribute-type outfit but they tour all over the world, and they've been out here three times before but I was never able to catch them until tonight, and they took me to brass heaven

Classic 16 piece big band: Double-bass, piano, drums, and the rest (almost) all brass - 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, three saxes and of course, being a "Miller" band, a single tenor sax and a single clarinet (the player of which also doubled on a fifth sax for some numbers). They were very impressive, way better than I had hoped for, and probably about as close to sounding like the real Miller orchestra as you could get nowadays.

They were accompanied for a few numbers by a trio of women who did an awesome job of emulating the Andrews Sisters and this gorgeous-looking young lady who sang a few numbers here and there in a wonderful voice (willowy blondes in long, clingy gowns look amazing on stage - I was gone when she sashayed out ) There was also a pair of dancers, a man and a woman, who came out and did their thing during some of the numbers. They really looked the part and certainly danced the part That kind of high-energy stuff makes most modern "dancing" look positively lethargic by comparison. I wish I had that kind of energy - if I tried to throw a girl around like that I'd end up in traction for sure

The band faithfully recreate Miller's sound and arrangements, and perform all of his classics plus a few other numbers from the period. Tonight's show ended with a swingy, jazzy version of Waltzing Matilda, which brought the house down. It should be played like that all the time They served up a good couple of hours' worth of music, and I could have listened to a couple more hours of it.

It's so good to see and hear a band just playing music - no flashing lights or lasers, no fancy effects or trick set pieces, just big, wonderful brassy music. I love swing-era big band stuff, and that much brass looks terrific under lights. I'm sure I was born in the wrong decade...

These guys have actually been going for years and years and they tour around a fair bit, so if you love music from that era and they happen to come your way I can recommend checking them out. It's so rare to hear that kind of thing live, and done so well, these days.

I couldn't take any photos, but I scrounged a few from the net, taken from various gigs. As near as I can tell it's much the same line-up, with some different faces here and there. And we only got one pair of dancers - from what I've seen online, they usually have two. Can't complain though!

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[Art Blade]

very nice

Oh yes, brass bands and Glenn Miller, I like that, too I wish I could have been there with you

[fragger]

Cheers We get to see some pretty cool acts, considering where we are. The nearby big town has an excellent venue which is fairly new, not huge (seats about 600) but is well-designed and appointed. It has the most comfortable seats I've ever struck in a venue, and the acoustics are superb in there.

I don't know why more theatres and venues don't do this: all the seats are staggered, i.e. if you're in one row, your seat will be in between the seats in front, not directly behind them, so that you look between the heads of the people in front, not straight at them. Simple fix to an age-old problem The seats are nicely pitched and elevated too. I had a completely unobstructed view of everything despite the place being packed.

As I always do at concerts, I deliberately chose the rear-most row, dead-centre. It's not a giant venue, so it's not like the stage is a mile away. The music always seems to sound best from there. Too close and it gets hard to hear everything clearly, and I'm not interested in seeing everyone close-up - I go to things like this to hear them, not to see them

[Art Blade]

hehe 

I only know one place that has staggered seats: an IMAX cinema in Barcelona, Spain. Probably because you need to see everything for the "exe max" effect. Those rows of seats had at the time a noticeable hight difference so there was absolutely no way of getting even someone's massive afro in your face

I prefer the middle centre. Good sound there. Not too close, not too far. Close enough to still recognise faces but far enough not to be able to count pimples. 

[nex]

Even later than 30's and 40's fragger.
Although I grew up in the Elvis/chubby/Bill Haley era and later Cliff Richard,
my dad loved instrumental music, he used to play guitar.
Glenn Miller was our favorite, I even have the movie "The Glenn Miller Story" with James Stewart.
Later years The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Bert Kaempfert, Billy Vaughn,  Andre Rieu, and the list goes on. Have you heard of a Darol Rice, he started off with Billy Vaughn but then got his own band. He made two albums during the mid 60's then disappeared from the scene 

[mandru]

It sounds like you had a good evening out. 

I like big band in measured doses but I'm more of a cosmic rocker. 

[Art Blade]

 

[fragger]

 

I do love it, but I'm not nailed to it I like just about anything (provided it's actually musical), with some exceptions. I'm not much into mainstream popular country, or western for that matter , and I can live without rap (or hip hop or whatever they call it now - it all sounds the same to me). The fans can keep their Britneys and Fergies and all those other trashy girls that come along, flaunt themselves like strippers for a little while, then disappear back into the woodwork where they should have stayed.

I'm not into the current popular music scene at all. I was when I was a teenager and into my early twenties, but these days I couldn't tell you who is on the charts or who does what. I switched off the radio about 35 years ago There are still good acts around, but someone has to point them out to me. I don't follow the charts.

nex, you mentioned the movie "The Glenn Miller Story" in your post. Louis Armstrong is featured in the movie, and it reminded me of a conversation I had with my Dad a couple of weeks ago where he revealed that he once jammed with Satchmo and his band while they were visiting Australia. I was suitably impressed Almost 58 years I've known that guy and he still has stories I haven't heard before.

[Art Blade]

 

I was equally impressed when my dad long ago showed me a book about Jazz, and in there was the autograph of Louis Armstrong with whom he happened to have a jam session once.

[fragger]

  Nice one! What did your Dad play?

[Art Blade]

bass

[nex]

Awesome fragger 

When Cliff and the Shadows came to SA for the first time, my brother was one of the
cops assigned to them for protection.

They used a boardroom of the Hotel to practice,
the one day my brother got permission from Cliff to let me in to watch them practice.

[Art Blade]

wow, that's cool