Puttin’ on the Ritz at The Apex!
A vintage dance band in every sense of the word – The Pasadena Roof Orchestra, (pictured above) whose musicians have been employed by big stars such as Robbie Williams and Bryan Ferry, have been playing popular swing music for over 55 years.
The orchestra, which is coming to The Apex, in Bury St Edmunds, later this month, faithfully re-creates glorious music from the 1920’s and 1930’s, with beautifully arranged songs from Irving Berlin, Ray Noble, Cole Porter and their contemporaries, classic tunes by Louis Armstrong, and electrifying hot jazz from Fletcher Henderson and Duke Ellington.
The Pasadena Roof Orchestra was founded by John Arthy in 1969.
As a young bandleader John had the good fortune to discover 1,500 arrangements from the 1920s and 1930s lying dormant in an attic in Manchester.
The orchestra’s unique style, attention to musical detail, and relentless sense of fun soon became a hit not only in the UK, but far and beyond.
Suave singer and band leader Duncan Galloway explains that it is is the quality of the music itself that stands out as timeless.
“The great thing about 1920s and 1930s music is that it can be really complex and still sound effortless,” he said.
“All of the musicians need to be equal masters of two different disciplines; they must be classically trained to give them an in-depth understanding of the sheet music as well as being excellent jazz musicians because there will always be 16 or 32-bar passages intentionally left open for improvisation.
“These disciplines are not easily combined, and it takes time to find musicians who are capable of performing to this level of expertise”.
The Pasadena Roof Orchestra is at The Apex on Wednesday, April 16, at 7.30pm. See www.theapex.co.uk or ring 01284 758000 for more information, or to book tickets.