The Swingers Orchestra was founded in 1999. At first, the target is popular events, and the venues are shopping centers, multiplex cinemas and corporate dinners. Their early repertoire was focused on songs from Disney films. The name, however, reveals the idea of recalling the grand tradition of the Swing Era orchestras.
In 2002, an idea was born: a small orchestra (due to high costs) that could play a lot. The result is an eight-member ensemble with an old-fashioned look (the music stands are the original wooden ones!) and a catchy and attractive project dedicated to Count Basie.
Gradually, they added a crooner repertoire with Frank Sinatra in mind and another one based on Ella Fitzgerald. At Umbria Jazz, they will present a project set up for the occasion and dedicated to the orchestras of Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw – the great protagonists of the Swing Era – and declined in the genre of big bands that were very popular and brilliant at playing great music.
The Swingers Orchestra celebrates Goodman and Shaw, both clarinetists, with two outstanding musicians: Paolo Tomelleri and Alfredo Ferrario. The arrangements are based on the original recordings of the 30s and 40s and curated by Stefano Caniato, the pianist and arranger of the orchestra. The front line is composed of renowned jazzmen: Rudy Migliardi and Emilio Soana, coming from the former RAI Orchestra of Milan, Francesco Santucci from the current RAI Orchestra of Rome, and Giulio Visibelli. The rhythm section includes Delio Barone on guitar, Claudio Bonora on drums, and Enrico Lazzarini on double bass. The concert promises to be a passionate journey through the glorious pages of swing music with musicians who perfectly get into the part and play that music that smells of history with enviable freshness.
