What better way to end a busy term of music-making than with our biggest jazz event – Sevenoaks Swings! From singers to saxophonists, musicians from across the school took the stage in an evening of incredible performances, all organised by the brilliant Mr Beston.
The Big Band opened the concert with a contrasting set of jazz numbers: Benny Goodman’s iconic ‘Sing, Sing, Sing’, the theme from BBC’s Grandstand, ‘The Queen Bee’ by Sammy Nestico, and Frank Sinatra’s version of ‘Luck Be A Lady’ which was sung beautifully by Seia (U6).
The Flute Choir followed with a rendition of Queen’s iconic ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. Showcasing the different types of flute, they were led by Visiting Music Teacher Miss Gent.
Next, the Pastorius Ensemble brought the funk with incredible covers of ‘Put It Where You Want It’ by The Crusaders and ‘Never Make Your Move Too Soon’, made famous by B. B. King.
Then, the brilliant Parker Sax Quartet returned to the world of jazz as they performed ‘Comedy for Saxophones’, a fun and rhythmic ensemble piece which highlights the interplay between instruments, followed by the instantly recognisable ‘Pink Panther Theme’.
The Gillespie Ensemble, which consists of students in Year 11 and above, played Stevie Wonder’s classic ‘I Wish’, followed by a fantastic funk mashup.
Closing the first half were the Middle School Jazz Band who performed three pieces. The first was ‘Steppin’ Out With My Baby’, a jazz standard originally performed by Fred Astaire and most notably covered by Tony Bennett. The second was ‘Brazil’ a samba that put audiences in mind of Strictly Come Dancing and the Tower Ballroom. The Jazz Band’s final piece was Glenn Miller’s ‘Pennsylvania 6-5000’, a big band swing standard.
The second half opened with the Saxophone Megaband. All levels of saxophonists came together in a fun rendition of ‘Hoots Mon’, an otherwise instrumental piece punctuated by stereotypical Scottish phrases like ‘There’s a moose loose aboot this hoose!’. The number of saxophonists on stage is yet to be confirmed, but the current record is over forty!
The Swings Singers performed another Fred Astaire classic – ‘They Can’t Take That Away From Me’, before backing Gabriel (L6), Seia and Simona (U6) in a soulful cover of Ray Charles’ ‘Hit The Road Jack’. The Swings Singers were led by Ms Day and accompanied by Byron (Y11), Noah (U6), Oscar (Y11) and Ryan (U6).
Simona was then accompanied by the Esperanza Ensemble as they transported the audience to a dimly lit jazz club with a stunning performance of ‘Precious’ by Esperanza Spalding.
The Hit Squad, an incredibly talented percussion ensemble, played ‘Oi!’. We recently received a generous donation towards new percussion instruments and equipment, so it’s great to see so many young musicians putting it all to use!
Next, the Woods Ensemble, made up of Lower School pupils, performed a mashup of different jazz numbers.
Finishing as they started, the Big Band played another four pieces. The first two were each originally performed by jazz icons: ‘Caravan’ by Duke Ellington, and ‘Teddy the Toad’ by Count Basie. Miss Hill then joined the Big Band to sing Dolly Parton’s ‘9 to 5’. The amazing Gabby (L6) finished the set with a cover of ‘I Will Survive’.
Of course, no Sevenoaks Swings concert would be complete without a big finale, so every performer took to the stage to close the show with group number ‘Sweet Caroline’.
Several of our U6 jazz musicians have been learning the saxophone with Mr Beston for seven years since joining Sevenoaks School, and this was their last of many Sevenoaks Swings concerts. We are so grateful for all their amazing performances throughout the years and hope they keep playing as they move on to their next chapters.
