The Chesterfield Canal Trust is promoting two concerts at the newly restored Barrow Hill Memorial Hall. The proceeds will go towards the further restoration of the canal.
The Swing Commanders will be appearing on Friday 26th June followed by Simon Mayor & Hilary James on Saturday 27th June. To book, click here or ring 01246 477569. Tickets cost £15. The concerts start at 7.30 p.m., and the bar will be open.
The Swing Commanders are a stunningly vibrant and versatile group that performs an exciting mix of 1940s classics, boogie-woogie, western swing, 50s jump jazz and more!
Every member sings and plays at least one instrument, sometimes three; yet what makes them stand out even above their incredible music ability and performing skills is their joie-de-vivre.
The band has appeared, often headlining, at most of the UK’s top Vintage and Country Music festivals. Loved by fans of Jazz, Country, Swing and Blues, The Swing Commanders fill dancehalls with Lindy Hoppers, Modern Jivers, Line Dancers, and Social Dancers, up and down the UK, and as far as Europe and the US.
People who experience the band for the first time are amazed at the energetic showmanship, the instrument swapping, the tight arrangements, and vocal blend.
Across Britain from Shetland to Sark, and across the globe from Vancouver to Singapore, Simon Mayor and Hilary James have brought their special blend of dazzling musicianship.
If they have a speciality, it’s an ability to combine a truly diverse array
of talents into a hugely entertaining stage show. There can’t be many performers who slide easily from a beautifully evocative Irish ballad into a mandolin and guitar version of Handel’s Arrival of the Queen of Sheba and then have the audience singing one of their own notorious comic songs, but it’s this wry humour and an easy, informal stage manner that holds it all together.
In 2022 Simon and Hilary were delighted to accept invitations to be honorary directors of The Classical Mandolin Society of America.
They share a passionate interest in children’s music and have worked extensively with young people in theatres and schools, as well as writing and presenting music education programmes for BBC Radio and TV for six years. They have recorded five ‘Musical Mystery Tour’ children’s albums of original songs, ‘Lullabies with Mandolins’ (currently riding high on Apple Music), two rhyming picture story books for Top That! Publications, and the ‘Musical Mystery Tour’ songbook, published by Faber Music.
