One of the UK’s premier swing orchestras is embarking on their most ambitious festive tour to date this Christmas and they are heading to Easterbrook Hall in Dumfries.
The acclaimed 30-piece Down for the Count Orchestra, under the baton of conductor Mike Paul-Smith, continues to make waves on the UK jazz scene and is set to bring the magic of the festive season to life with their enchanting performances.
Down for the Count boasts a rare combination of a swing band with a string section, and their Christmas extravaganza promises to transport audiences to a world of timeless classics. In addition to beloved Christmas favourites, this year’s tour features brand-new arrangements by conductor Mike Paul-Smith, offering audiences a fresh take on festive classics. Audiences can expect to hear recreations of The Most Wonderful Time of the Year (Andy Williams), Let It Snow! (Frank Sinatra), and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (Ella Fitzgerald), alongside non-festive classics from these great artists and original arrangements of swing era classics, showcasing the sensational instrumentalists and vocalists in the orchestra.
Down for the Count started life as a group of school friends in Buckinghamshire in 2005, nurtured in the vibrant environment of the Aylesbury Music Centre. The band’s musical director Mike Paul-Smith explains, “we all participated in student orchestras and jazz bands, performing at iconic venues like The Royal Albert Hall and on tours such as The North Sea Jazz Festival. The inspiration and opportunities we had at our local music centre were invaluable and sparked the idea to form the band”.
Initially the band performed at local weddings and parties, quickly growing to become one of the most in-demand event bands in the UK. However, a spontaneous trip to a Bedfordshire vintage festival in 2012 renewed the band’s love of vintage swing music from the 1940s and, the next year, they returned to the festival as performers – and it all grew from there.
For the musical director Mike, the journey has been as unique as it is inspiring. Choosing to study Medicine at the University of Oxford, he faced a common dilemma among musicians. “Like many musicians I had a dilemma in my late teens about whether or not to go to music college. I chose to study medicine and loved it, and after graduating I even decided to do a PhD in gene therapy. However, I was finding that each year we were getting more and more performance opportunities, so I made the decision to concentrate on music full-time about six years ago – and haven’t regretted the decision yet! Each year brings new special memories – in 2018 we had a 3-night residency at Le Caveau de la Huchette in Paris, Europe’s oldest jazz club and the club featured at the end of the film La La Land; and then in 2021, we performed to 10,000 people at an outdoor concert where we were supporting The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.”
“This is awesome!!!!” Michael Bublé on our lockdown video
“One hellova celebration of vintage music.” TimeOut London
“Wow! That was fantastic! You guys are so good.” David Grant (Vocal coach – Fame Academy, Pop Idol etc), BBC Radio London.
Wed 20 Nov ~ DUMFRIES Easterbrook Hall – Book Tickets HERE
