COME on and hear the best band in the land, and that’s official. For the 11th year running, the Syd Lawrence Orchestra has been voted Britain’s number one big band.
By way of celebration, it has embarked on a nationwide tour which takes it to the Cliffs Pavilion, Westcliff, for a one- night stand in March.
The orchestra has a large fan base in Southend and always plays to packed houses.
Leader Chris Dean said: “We’ve been playing Southend for so many years that it feels like a home away from home.”
For more than a decade, the band’s reputation as best of the big band sound has been endorsed by judges at the BBC’s Band of the Year awards.
The fame of the orchestra goes back a lot longer than that, however. This is the band which led Count Basie to declare: “They’re so good they should be banned.”
The Syd Lawrence Orchestra was founded by trumpet player Syd in 1967 to ensure the sound of the Glenn Miller era was maintained for future generations.
Syd retired in 1984 and died in 1988, but his legacy lives on under the stewardship of trombonist Chris Dean. The band is presenting a medley show covering the classic swing era.
Vocalists will reprise the great numbers of Frank Sinatra and Ella Ftzgerald.
Glamour is provided by female vocalist Angie Mills, who provides a contrast to the band’s toe-tapping routines with some smoochier numbers.
Chris Dean’s Syd Lawrence Orchestra, Cliffs Pavilion, Southend.
7.30pm, 01702 351135
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