The Huddersfield Singers will ‘swing’ their way into summer with a concert packed with memorable American classics.
If you like the songs of Cole Porter, George and Ira Gershwin, Copland and Hywel Davies’s A Duke Ellington Choral Suite, this is definitely the concert for you.
An American Summer is what the Singers are calling their concert tomorrow (June 29).
It’s at St Paul’s Church at Armitage Bridge, it begins at 7.30pm and will feature the award -winning saxophonist James Mainwaring.
For fans of Ellington this concert offers a real treat.
His Choral Suite neatly captures the world of Duke Ellington and reminds us that the music we associate with this great musician is often the product of close relationships with other great musicians in his circle.
Juan Tizol’s Perdido brought the ‘Spanish Tinge’ to the Ellington sound, and he frequently collaborated with composer-arranger-pianist Billy Strayhorn, whom he called his ‘writing and arranging companion’. The classic, Take The A Train was composed after Ellington offered Strayhorn a job and gave him money to travel from Pittsburgh to New York City.
The directions Ellington wrote for Strayhorn to reach his house by subway became part of musical history. They began – ‘Take the A Train’.
Hywel Davies’s sophisticated and challenging arrangements are a fresh and vibrant take on a number of tunes which have become standards including Satin Doll, Lush Life, Things Ain’t What They Used To Be and Perdido.
Guest soloist at the concert, James Mainwaring, has performed world-wide, on TV and various radio broadcasts and is a member of the Mercury, Mobo and Jazz FM award nominated Roller Trio.
The choir will be conducted by Jonathan Brigg.
Tickets available at the door or in advance from Theresa McDonagh on 01484 541166.
