Echoes of far away lands are resonating in West London, strange harmonies and exotic scales have reached our shores, the time has come for a fusion of the senses and open our minds to new sounds!
In a Persian Market
Fiddler on the Roof
On a little street of Singapore
Our choir will take a detour by this 1930’s hit made famous by Frank Sinatra, The Manhattan Transfer and…Bob Dylan!
Danse Macabre
The dead rising from their graves and skeleton getting up are the main themes evocated by Camille Saint-Saens tone poem compose in 1874. Not an oriental tune but it’s quirky melodic lines add a touch of mystery to the programme.
Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves
From Guiseppe Verdi’s 1842 opera Nabucco (short for Nabucodonosor, the Babylonian king), “Va, pensiero” is another tale of Jewish Exiles.
Isfahan
Jazz also got its fair share of far East inspiration. Duke Ellington was taken by the beauty of the Turkey city Isfahan and decided to write a feature tune for his Alto Saxophonist Johnny Hodges as part of their 1966 recording.
Tokyo Blues
The 1962 classic Blue-Note album of the same name was a huge hit for pianist Horace Silver whose trademark 4thy chords we instantly recognizable. We will play this version by Japanese group Trance Katz who takes the standard at a slower tempo and more latin feel. Improvisers, please step forward!
