The B# Big Band
Bio
The B# Big Band is Melbourne’s most exciting swingin’ Big Band – just ask their biggest fan, James Morrison! They’re bringing a fresh, invigorating sound to Melbourne and casting a spell on new audiences with every performance. The B# sound has certainly got feet a-tappin’ and hearts a-poundin’ all over town!
15 years in the dreaming and 1 year in the making, B# launched in September of 2003 to an audience of over 500 Big Band swing lovers at Melbourne’s Forum Theatre. They’ve built a legion of devoted swing lovin’ fans with every performance since – everyone from Gen ‘Y’ to Gen ‘Wartime’.
The founder and manger, Henry K, was keen to pull together some of Australia’s best jazz & session musicians to perform the classic arrangements of Basie, Ellington, Goodman, Miller and other Big Cats of the 30’s, 40’s & 50’s. Many of the arrangements B# has acquired, or had carefully arranged, are well known classics! Some have for many years been ‘lost’ classics, not performed by other Big Bands around Melbourne, and rarely in Australia, if at all.
B# resuscitate these infectious tunes with a fresh twist, exposing new audiences to the lush, invigorating sound that made Big Band swing addictive to swing ears then, and now again.
To effectively perform these exciting and complex tunes, B# has cajoled some of the most talented and passionate musicians of international standing to lend their expertise. The band understands the important nuances of Big Band swing and what sets it apart. The lion’s share of B#‘s arrangements are for a 17 piece Big Band – and they take’ it to the stage that way, just as the original arrangers intended. That means a big, slick, energised sound, with more than a nod to the particular acoustic style of the era. In addition, a 10 piece version of the band, known as the B# ‘Little’ Big Band, delivers a punchy, swingin’ sound where smaller spaces or smaller budgets prevail.
From the moment the curtain draws back, the band’s striking presentation - consisting of either full, new, modern suits, or classic, 40’s style outfits, plus their custom built, art-deco inspired music stands – gives the audience a taste of what’s to come. But it’s only after one considers the exceptional talent that dons each outfit and occupies each stand, that the full exciting potential of this band is realised.
15 years in the dreaming and 1 year in the making, B# launched in September of 2003 to an audience of over 500 Big Band swing lovers at Melbourne’s Forum Theatre. They’ve built a legion of devoted swing lovin’ fans with every performance since – everyone from Gen ‘Y’ to Gen ‘Wartime’.
The founder and manger, Henry K, was keen to pull together some of Australia’s best jazz & session musicians to perform the classic arrangements of Basie, Ellington, Goodman, Miller and other Big Cats of the 30’s, 40’s & 50’s. Many of the arrangements B# has acquired, or had carefully arranged, are well known classics! Some have for many years been ‘lost’ classics, not performed by other Big Bands around Melbourne, and rarely in Australia, if at all.
B# resuscitate these infectious tunes with a fresh twist, exposing new audiences to the lush, invigorating sound that made Big Band swing addictive to swing ears then, and now again.
To effectively perform these exciting and complex tunes, B# has cajoled some of the most talented and passionate musicians of international standing to lend their expertise. The band understands the important nuances of Big Band swing and what sets it apart. The lion’s share of B#‘s arrangements are for a 17 piece Big Band – and they take’ it to the stage that way, just as the original arrangers intended. That means a big, slick, energised sound, with more than a nod to the particular acoustic style of the era. In addition, a 10 piece version of the band, known as the B# ‘Little’ Big Band, delivers a punchy, swingin’ sound where smaller spaces or smaller budgets prevail.
From the moment the curtain draws back, the band’s striking presentation - consisting of either full, new, modern suits, or classic, 40’s style outfits, plus their custom built, art-deco inspired music stands – gives the audience a taste of what’s to come. But it’s only after one considers the exceptional talent that dons each outfit and occupies each stand, that the full exciting potential of this band is realised.
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