THE JAZZ REPERTORY COMPANY
Contact RICHARD PITE t: +44 (0)20 8539 5229 m: +44 (0)7836 590015 e: info@jazzrepertorycompany.com
Click here to see the Set List for the concert
In 1935 Benny Goodman was the man who began the swing era when his orchestra caused a sensation at the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles. A year later he formed his quartet with Lionel Hampton on vibraphone, Teddy Wilson on piano and drummer Gene Krupa. This was the first jazz band to feature both black and white musicians working together on stage. Each of Goodman’s three sidemen went on to lead their own bands and this new show pays tribute to the great music created by these four giants of the swing era.
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China Boy (Pete Long's Benny Goodman Quartet) |
The dynamic, showman drummer Gene Krupa left the Goodman ranks in 1938 to form his own mighty band (featuring the thrilling Roy Eldridge on trumpet and the sultry Anita O’Day on vocals). Benny’s vibraphone virtuoso Lionel Hampton also became a star in his own right producing numerous exciting recordings in the late 1930’s that featured some of the decade’s greatest names such as Harry James, Cootie Williams, Johnny Hodges and Benny Carter. The elegant pianist Teddy Wilson and his orchestra accompanied the classic recordings of Billie Holiday and Lester Young, considered by many to be amongst the best performances in jazz history.
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Dark Eyes (as originally performed by the Gene Krupa Trio) |
“After You’ve Gone” is a new show featuring some of the finest swing musicians working in the UK. Clarinettist Pete Long has presented “Benny Goodman at Carnegie Hall 1938” in theatres throughout the country and drummer Richard Pite is considered one of the world’s finest exponents of Gene Krupa’s drumming style (he conceived the Gene Krupa Centenary Celebration in 2009 – See the film clip at the bottom of the page.) Alan Grahame brilliantly recreates the dazzling Lionel Hampton and pianist Bunny Thompson’s speed and dexterity recalls the brilliance of Teddy Wilson.
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Opus One (as originally performed by Anita O'Day and Roy Eldridge with the Gene Krupa Orchestra) |
Add to the four stars of the quartet Enrico Tomasso’s thrilling trumpet, Jerome Davies’s swinging bass and Chicago’s very own Joan Viskant (whose singing brings the spirit of Benny, Gene and Anita O’Day’s hometown to the mix) and you have an exciting and varied show featuring the finest in small band swing.
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Moonglow (Pete Long's BG Quartet featuring Joan Viskant) |
Gene Krupa centenary concert at London's Cadogan Hall featuring Richard Pite, Pete Long, Enrico Tomasso, Joan Viskant and Jerome Davies.
Contact RICHARD PITE t: +44 (0)20 8539 5229 m: +44 (0)7836 590015 e: info@jazzrepertorycompany.com
