TWELVE-PIECE Down for the Count Swing Orchestra will be heading to Frome’s Merlin Theatre for an outdoor afternoon performance on Sunday 20th June.
The organisers report, “Down for the Count are one of the best-known bands on the UK jazz scene. They are based in London, but the show will have a distinctly local flavour, featuring guest vocalist Marvin Muoneké, who is based in Western-Super-Mare. Marvin, seen on both Britain’s Got Talent and The Voice, joins this brilliant line up professional vintage swing musicians to sing numbers from the legendary Rat Pack, including ‘I’ve Got You Under My Skin’ and ‘That’s Life’.
“Marvin joins the rest of Down for the Count’s talented vocalists and instrumentalists, including tenor saxophonist and clarinettist Alex Western-King, who went to Wells Cathedral School.
Alex comments, “The training I received at Wells set up me for a career as a professional musician and I can’t wait to return to area to perform at The Merlin”.
Down for the Count have earned themselves a reputation as one of the hardest-working swing bands performing in the UK today. Their show is lively, energetic and accessible. As band leader Mike Paul-Smith explains, “Swing music is so exciting and dynamic – and we love to put on a real show. We want people to leave feeling energised and inspired to go and find out more about the swing and jazz music which we love.”
Down for the Count have sold out shows at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, Cadogan Hall, and even La Caveau de la Huchette in Paris – the oldest jazz club in Europe. During the Covid-19 pandemic they were awarded a grant from Arts Council England’s Cultural Recovery Fund, recognising the band as an organisation of important cultural significance.
Band manager Mike explains, “The Cultural Recovery Fund has been a lifeline to artists such as us; it has helped us return to live performance sooner than we would have been able to on our own, and it means that we can bring our full 12-piece mini big band to The Merlin, for a massive, full sound.”
During lockdown, Down for the Count saw their popularity surge even further by releasing a series of videos recorded in isolation. The first video, a cover of Nat King Cole’s Let’s Face the Music and Dance, has received over 500,000 views – including one from international superstar Michael Bublé, who described it as “awesome!”
Bring picnics and swing your way on down to the Merlin, with full details and tickets on sale now at www. merlintheatre.co.uk
