Brendan Fitzgerald Jazz Ensemble trumpets a Jumpin' Jive journey through the era of Swing. Charmaine Jones and Ben Gatehouse frontline the slip and slide dance rhythms and slinky melodies of the 30's and 40's in this suave, sophisticated cabaret.

In 1929, the roaring twenties crashed with the Great Depression. A flamboyant world of excess gave way to a decade of austerity and rumblings of war. The crisis bred a new culture of escapism. Deco dance halls became popular havens for big band exuberance and the euphoria of swing.

This riveting story is channeled by New York's ‘Metronome’ magazine music critic, George Simon who, with visual flashbacks and personal anecdote, gives voice to the rivalries and personalities of SWING. Simon relates how swing broke down race barriers with black and white musicians forming highly successful bands together, to the disdain of social commentators and even psychiatrists!

Simon guides the audience through the spread of swing beyond America to Europe, Asia and Australia. Against the background cacophony of war, Simon notes that Swing was used for propaganda on both sides of the battlefield.

The story and music of SWING is as relevant in today's world that appears to mirror those troubled times.

Venue Format
Theatre, Black Box Venue
Technical Rating
C
Touring Party
12
Considerations

Projection system and screen Grand piano in good condition (an electric piano can substitute in exceptional circumstances, but generally speaking the grand piano is required) Drum riser Bass amplifier or powered 15" monitor speaker

eMotion Music is an Australian production house for creative music initiatives.

Engaging diverse talent, eMotion Music ignites entertainment and performance projects for all occasions and media. Our concerts, recitals, music-theatre and cabaret productions tour throughout Australia, Europe and the Asia Pacific. In addition to live shows, eMotion Music customises original music scores and recordings for commercial use in film, video, radio and the web.

eMotion Music specialises in productions which combine narrative and contemporary visual technologies to support high level music performances across a range of styles. Conventional concert presentations are reinvented via a multi-layered process, delivering a scintillating musical experience for the audience.

Formed by pianist/composer and music producer, Brendan Fitzgerald, eMotion Music combines the creative energies of a group of South Australian artists and musicians. Music composition and arrangement, creative VJ technology applications and audio recording are included in a suite of services offered by eMotion Music.

Company Website
emotionmusic.com

Unique Selling Point

The music arrangements in this production are authentically recreated by transcriptions from recordings of the times and adapted for a smaller ensemble. The musical effect mimics the sound of the larger original swing bands but possesses its own unique sonic clarity and character. Projection of selected archival images underpins the music performances between Simon's narrative, highlighting both the social troubles and the euphoria generated by this dance music. The combination of concise narrative text together with striking images, music and dance, provides an engrossing experience for audiences young and old, recreating the atmosphere of this golden era in dance music.

Marketing Materials

Poster artwork, images, showreel (3'15"), a selection of images, potential to develop a suite of education materials (several of the cast are qualified music teachers).

Community Engagement

As in our other production, "TAKE FIVE - The Dave Brubeck Story" this show is of especial appeal to the older generation who experienced this music on the dance floors of their youth around the time of the second world war. There is however, a younger generation of fans taking swing dance classes devoted to the jitterbug, Lindy hop and boogie woogie, some of whom have jumped out of their seats to spontaneously dance during performances of this show. Opportunities exist for young and old to share their appreciation of this music and communicate its relevance to their youthful times.