Hollywood and all that jazz

FOR LUDWIG van Beethoven, music was a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy. And for music lovers who get lost in the magic of his music, that sentiment rings true. 

This may be the reason why music has such a strong presence at Bangkok’s 18th International Festival of Dance & Music which runs from September 8 to October 19.

As well as western classical, the festival has an evening devoted to songs from Hollywood films and another to jazz. “Hollywood Sound Of Cinema” on September 27 and “An Evening Of Jazz” on October 3 with The Shuffle Demons from Canada and the Belgian Saxophone Ensemble are both promising must-see performances.

The two-hour “Hollywood Sound of Cinema” with five international singers and musicians will travel through Hollywood’s iconic film music. The show has previously toured China and Europe with great success and has won several awards, such as the Beste Deutsche Showproduktion and has performed on various famous television shows in Europe such as “Das Fest der Volksmusik”. 

The performers include soloists Lydia Gritz, Lisa Aberer, BarneHeimbucher and James Carrow, all known for their remarkable skills as vocalists and entertainers, along with Tim Hahn on the drums, keyboardist CarstenBrocker, on the guitar Lars Kutschke and on the bass Oliver Klemp. All have a long list of credits to their names and have performed across America and Europe. 

Bringing these talents together is Scala Theatre that is known for its musical theatre productions, comedies, operas, classical dance theatres and dramas. Legions of celebrated actors, singers and directors have worked for the company, including Curd Jurgens, Giuseppe di Stefano and Maximilian Shell. Founded in Switzerland 1959 by the Grabowsky brothers, it is one of the most successful companies in Europe. 

In the seventies, the company also took over the direction of various theatres such as Operettenhaus Hamburg, Bernhard Theater Zurich, Musical Theater Zurich, Theater des Westens Berlin and Deutsches Theater Munchen. 

The show is directed by singer and actress Sina Selensky. She is also author, director and producer of comedies, musical theatres, dance-and-music shows for several tour companies and theatres. 

An audience can expect to hear classics such as Pirates of the Caribbean, James Bond mix, I Will Survive, Unchain My Heart, Moon River, Supercalifragilistic, Dirty Dancing mix, Doctor Zhivago mix, Pretty Woman, Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend, Purple Rain, Mission Impossible, My Heart Will Go On, Thriller, Ghostbusters, Footloose, and more.

The Shuffle Demons from Canada and the Belgian Saxophone Ensemble will be in a double bill for “An Evening Of Jazz”. 

The evening begins with The Shuffle Demons and their jazz musical fusion. A high-energy Canadian band blends virtuosic jazz and funk, with eye-catching costumes and over-the-top stage antics. 

The band first broke onto the Canadian music scene with their genre-bending music and visually entertaining shows. The group brings together five vocalists who are also accomplished instrumentalists: Richard Underhill (alto saxophone), Perry White (tenor saxophone), Ryan Oliver (tenor saxophone), George Koller (bass) and Stich Wynston (drums).

Underhill, a multi award-wining musician is the founding member of the Toronto-based band and its defacto leader. He took this bop-rap ensemble from the streets of Toronto across Canada and to Europe. One of Canada’s most distinctive jazz performers, he is in great demand as a sessions player and sideman and has written horn and string arrangements for several well-known musicians. 

Along the band has released eight CDs, two hit videos, won several music awards, done numerous television and radio appearances and toured nationally and internationally, including 25 cross-Canada tours, five US tours, 16 European tours and seven Asia-Pacific tours. 

Explaining their music, the band members say, “What do you get when you cross three amazing saxophonists dressed in wacky clothes, a crazy dancing drummer and a killer upright bass player and have them sing songs about buses, roaches and hockey and spend half their time playing in the audience? The Shuffle Demons, that’s what!”

The Belgian Saxophone Ensemble takes the stage for the second part of the night. The sound is incredible as thirteen mouthpieces create a unique sound that blurs the border between different musical categories – contemporary, classical, jazz, improvised and traditional music. 

The ensemble’s repertoire consists mainly of specially written pieces and the music can range from avant-garde to neo-classical. The group was drawn together through their shared love of the saxophone. The instrument has an enormous scope of expression – from the bass saxophone through to the sopranino – and ensemble’s members explore all aspects of the versatile instrument. 

Bringing it all together is Cezariusz Gadzina, the founder and conductor. Gadzina created the group from scratch and has led it for many years.

The Festival is sponsored by: Crown Property Bureau, Bangkok Bank, Bangkok Dusit Medical Services, BMW Thailand, B.Grimm Group, Dusit Thani Bangkok, Indorama Ventures, Ministry of Culture, Nation Group, PTT, Singha Corporation, Thai Airways International and Tourism Authority of Thailand.

 

MOVIE MAGIC AND SAX APPEAL 

- Hollywood Sound Of Cinema will stage on September 27 at 7.30pm.

- An Evening of Jazz will perform on October 3 at 7.30pm.

- For more information: www.BangkokFestivals.com.

- Tickets: Thai Ticket Major (www.thaiticketmajor.com; Hotline 02 262 3191 and at the counters.

- Venue: Main Hall, Thailand Cultural Centre, Bangkok