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REVIEW: Sounds of the Glenn Miller Era
Grand Theatre, Lancaster
TONY Christie has Peter Kay's mum to thank for reviving his career.
For if she hadn't had one of his albums in her fairly limited record collection, the young Peter Kay would never have heard Is This the Way to Amarillo which gave Tony Christie even greater success decades later.
My mum had the very same album in her collection and right there beside it was an LP of Glenn Miller classics.
I was brought up in the Seventies singing along to Tony Christie but also having an early appreciation of the big band sound.
So whereas the majority of the audience at the Grand on Saturday would have remembered most of the repertoire from the days it was performed originally, my walk down memory lane didn't go quite as far back...'just' three decades.
But what really cements the Glenn Miller sound in my memory is that tearjerker of a film, the Glenn Miller Story.
As soon as the Nick Ross Orchestra struck up Pennsylvannia 6500 and Little Brown Jug, I was reminded of some great scenes from the film starring James Stewart as the tragic band leader.
So this was real comfort entertainment, served up with great style by a band whose repertoire runs to hundreds of tunes including versions of Beatles classics.
Due to some early technical problems which meant the audience had difficulty hearing bandleader Nick Ross, a rapport between him and the audience was a little slow to start but once that was sorted, everyone settled down to enjoy big band music at its best.
And my memories of listening to that Glenn Miller LP on the record player all those years ago came flooding back.
All we need now is for Tony Christie to find his way to Lancaster and my nostaIgic musical journey will be complete!
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Weather for Lancaster
Friday 10 February 2012
Today
Light rain
Temperature: -1 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 22 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 1 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: South east
