Did ye like it? Yes, we certainly did! That would be it from the audience and I for the Saturday’s ‘Moonlight Serenade’ from The Glenn Miller Orchestra UK run by a ‘Rock ‘n Roll’ impresario and the unforgettable Ray McVay at Edinburgh Usher Hall. Came on stage swinging and left swinging! What a happy bunch and all this in tribute to the great Glenn… A man who kept the morale in high standing with his music in the war-torn forties.
With a classy opening song Strike Up The Band the orchestra got the hips thumpin’, toes-tapping, hands clapping and faces grin to the late pre-Hogmanay Saturday afternoon of Edinburgh.
And there they are! Joining the Miller band, the empowering Polka Dot Dolls in homage to The Andrews Sisters- a delightful refresher. Three women with energy of a cool waterfall dropping the drops of a Happy New Year message with their Caribbean Begin the Beguin foxtrotting.
Some pretty good vocals from guest vocalists Mark Porter and Catherine Sykes and despite a glitch or two on the sound front both carried on with a Sinatra pride.
A breath-taking and universe reaching trumpet solo from Danny Hammerton and some heart-pulse stimulating drum beats from Bobby Cleall. Well-deserved of a big-loud YEAH!!
The important bit to mention here is the ageless Glenn Miller’s interest in the most popular Russian composer of all time Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, his way of adapting the masterpieces into a totally different (swinging JAZZ) style of music, and with grace. Enjoyable journey through the good old musical positivity with top class performance, humour and engaging cartoony theatricals from the 17-piece UK-based Glenn Miller Orchestra.
All in all, A Little Brown Jug turns out to be spilling the joy once again and hopefully In The (right) Mood for decades to come!
- JAZZ REVIEW: Fergus McCreadie album launch @ Edinburgh Queen’s Hall - 9th April 2022
- JAZZ REVIEW – SNJO: Pop! Rock! Soul! @ Edinburgh Queen’s Hall - 26th February 2022
- The Fall of the American Empire (2018) - 22nd June 2019