SWINGING AT THE SAVOY – THE STORIES OF SWING

Doors 12pm
Show 1pm

Western Australia’s popular jazz musicians, Swinging at the Savoy, have come together to celebrate the untold stories of the great swing era performers. ‘The Stories of Swing’ unveils the captivating, inspiring, funny and weird tales behind Ella Fitzgerald, Cab Calloway, Fats Waller, Louis Armstrong and others, as they discovered their voices and shaped the history of music. Joined on stage by some ridiculously energetic swing dancers, this high paced show of exceptional music and gripping stories will have you cheering for more.

The show had a very successful run at Fringe World, 2021/22, and has also been performed in theatres around regional WA, in a three-week tour.

The Stories of Swing takes you on a journey to learn about the greats that influenced the musical genre. We hear some fabulous music, amazing rags to riches stories and watch the wonderful swing dancers…all in one show.” PERTH HAPPENINGS ★★★★½

MUSICIANS

Sid Hennessy – Double bass/vocals/storyteller and writer of The Stories of Swing: Sid was tutored by the renowned double-bassist, Geoff Chalmers and has performed extensively in the UK, Japan and around Australia. He is also a singer and songwriter, playing to audiences of up to 11,000 people. Sid also plays double-bass in the gypsy jazz outfit, Voudou Zazou. In addition to this, Sid enjoys creating shows and special events, many of which are jazz-themed.

Randa Khamis – Lead vocal: Randa is an internationally acclaimed singer/songwriter who has released three singles and three albums worldwide. She is regularly invited interstate and overseas to perform. She has played across the UK, Spain and France.

Mark Linkington – Woodwinds/vocals: Mark [AKA Mr.E.Mann] brings orchestral, choral and performance upbringing and experience to numerous bands and projects. His time in WAYJO and Voudou Zazou (gypsy jazz) stand him in good stead. When he’s not playing woodwinds, he can be found engineering sound (live and recording/composing), playing accordion and percussion.

Jacob Greenmount – Piano: Jacob has been playing piano for 15 years and has studied jazz at WAAPA. He has played extensively in WA and performed in Paris and in New York (with renowned jazz musicians, Brad Shepick and Tom Scott). Jacob has also composed several albums which have been used in movies and video games.

Francisco Munoz – Drums: Frank graduated from WAAPA in 2019. He has been performing in an array of different bands in Perth: Junkadelic brass band, Orquestra Yambeque, Late Night Organ Donors, Randa and the Soul Kingdom and others. He has toured the USA, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Darwin.

Ridge Moss-Guitar Melbourne bred and now Perth based, Ridge has spent the last 6 years at Australian Institute of Music (Melbourne) and WAAPA studying, and plays in a plethora of musical genres including Jazz, contemporary, Rnb, Soul, Funk, Latin, Indian, African and many more.

DANCERS

Azza Gee is the director and founder of the Swingtopia Dance Company. He lives and breathes swing dancing, specializing in vintage forms including the Lindy Hop and Solo Jazz. He has taught nationally and has performed at a wide variety of events including Fringeworld, Ellington Jazz Club, US Consulate, and even on the PBS series “Indian Summers.”  Azza is often accompanied by the dancing talents of Sophie Tan and they have performed The Stories of Swing together many times.