SwingFest 2023 - Bands
Three world-class swing bands to keep you entertained, your toes tapping and the dance floor swinging!
Pete Long's Pocket Basie - Sunday evening
Pocket Basie is a 6-piece band led by the one-and-only Peter Long - sax & clarinet maestro, and bandleader extraordinaire. Playing all the great danceable Basie hits on the pared down lineup of trumpet, tenor sax and a Basie style acoustic rhythm section. If Splanky, Jumpin At The Woodside and Shiny Stockings are your thing, this is the perfect line-up!
Pete Long
Pocket Basie
A five-year stint playing and arranging for with Jools Holland’s Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, saw Pete working with Tom Jones, Norah Jones, Solomon Burke, Dr. John, Lulu, Georgie Fame and Lionel Richie, to name but a few, and producing arrangements for John Cale, Texas, Sir Paul McCartney, Candi Staton, Marti Pellow and Chrissy Hynde. Pete is also the first musician in Europe to use the Tubax commercially, on a Ringo Starr track, and much more recently with The Guillemots.
Over the last couple of years, Pete’s career has divided into three distinct streams- as an educator, working in master classes and as soloist with young musicians all over Britain, from the furthest point of West Wales to the orchestras at the Royal Academy, The Guildhall and the Royal College. In conjunction with this work, Pete has helped develop a new series of student woodwind instruments with a leading UK Manufacturer. As a jazz soloist, Pete has appeared with resident trios in the provinces, and has often been caught at Ronnie Scott’s, in London’s West End.
It is however, as a bandleader and orchestrator that Pete spends most of his time currently, and directing the Big Band at Ronnie Scott’s alongside his own projects. These include his award-winning repertory orchestra Echoes Of Ellington, whose 2018 album “The Jazz Planets” won the Times “Must Have Jazz CD Of The Year”. Further commissions have involved a re-imagining of Swan Lake in the style of Duke Ellington, and a transcription and re-orchestration of “The Days Of Future Passed” for the Moody Blues. In the course of this work, Pete has provided musicians and arrangements for Claire Sweeney, Jane MacDonald, Humphrey Lytlleton, Sir John Dankworth, the entire cast of Emmerdale (!) and a host of others.
Louise Messenger Swingtet - Sunday evening
A really swingin' 6-piece led by supreme jazz vocalist Louise Messenger, this year joined by special guest pianist and vocalist Daniella Teal.
Louise Messenger
Louise Messenger Swingtet
Louise Messenger is an Australian Jazz/Contemporary vocalist, now based in London.
Louise loves all things swing. Her greatest influences are Carmen McRae, Ella Fitzgerald, Doris Day, Keely Smith and the Boswell Sisters. As well as classic standards, she is always seeking tunes that are a little left of centre, and loves to bring back to life songs from Tin Pan Alley and the Great American Songbook that have been forgotten in the jazz canon.
With a dynamic and smokey voice, Louise loves to entertain and connect with her audiences. An avid swing dancer herself, she loves to sing for dancers as well as jazz lovers, and can most often be found on stage completely unable to stand still.
Louise's career has been wide and varied - beginning her career in the early 2000's, her love of jazz led her to study at the Elder Conservatorium of Music in Adelaide.
Louise has been lucky in her career to have a wide variety of performance experiences - from major television appearances to performing all over Australia, Asia and touring to New Orleans. Since moving to London she has performed both in London and Europe with such wonderful ensembles as The Gordon Webster Band, The London Dance Orchestra, The Palace Avenue Dance Band, The Swing Ninjas, with her vocal trio The Shout SIsters and of course, as the Louise Messenger Swingtet at venues such as The London Lindy Exchange, The Ned, The Oriole Bar, Nightjar, Crazy Coqs, Oxo Tower, Cafe Boheme, The Boisedale, Tiger Rag and The Blues Kitchen.
Louise has also written, directed and produced several stage shows and has enjoyed sold out seasons in the Adelaide Fringe, and Adelaide International Cabaret Festival. For more information, head to Louise's Projects tab.
Corina Kwami & the Swing Selection - Sunday afternoon "tea dance"
The Swing Selection is the perfect recipe for a swinging band! From slower blues & ballads through swing standards to fiery and energetic jump tunes, Corina's band has something for everyone - you won't be able to keep still!
Corina Kwami
Corina Kwami & the Swing Selection
Described as a "modern Renaissance woman," Dr Corina Shika Kwami is a performer on stage and screen. She has performed in countries across the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia with her own band “Corina Kwami & the Swing Selection”, as a featured musician with projects such as Wildcard, Down for the Count and more!
Born in New Jersey, USA, to a Ghanaian and Irish family, her inspiration in jazz is flavoured with influences such as stride piano, West African high-life, Irish folk music to and soul. She is motivated by the story-telling power of jazz and its potential for connecting people across cultures.
Corina’s works also includes projects on the arts in innovation, future cities and sustainability. Her work cuts across the arts and sciences in order to facilitate exchanges between these worlds. You can see her face on series for the Discovery Channel and Science Channel. She lives in London.