{"id":7105,"date":"2015-12-17T09:19:06","date_gmt":"2015-12-17T09:19:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/music-matters\/?p=7105"},"modified":"2015-12-17T09:19:06","modified_gmt":"2015-12-17T09:19:06","slug":"christmas-swingalong-brings-the-term-to-a-festive-conclusion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/music-matters\/2015\/12\/17\/christmas-swingalong-brings-the-term-to-a-festive-conclusion\/","title":{"rendered":"Christmas Swingalong brings the term to a festive conclusion"},"content":{"rendered":"

Colyer-Fergusson Hall was packed to the rafters yesterday evening, for the now traditional Christmas Swingalong<\/em> featuring the University Big Band. Led by a charismatic Ian Swatman<\/strong>, the band launched into a festive programme of popular favourites, including a sassy rendition of Santa Baby<\/em>\u00a0from our very own Music Administrator, Sophie Meikle<\/strong>, who sashayed from the percussion section forwards to deliver a teasing performance. Elsewhere, first-year Doug Haycock<\/strong> crooned his way through Nat King Cole’s The Christmas Song<\/em>, and saxophonist Peter Cook<\/strong> joined Sophie later on to sing Baby, It’s Cold Outside<\/em>, in which both singers were clearly having far too much fun.<\/p>\n

\"WP_20151216_011\"Interspersed with the Big Band’s light-footed jazz were communal carols from the Brass Group<\/strong>, standing arrayed along the front row of the choral-risers and themselves joining in the spirit of the gig with Christmas jumpers. Honestly, you’ve never seen such a vast collection of seasonal knitwear outside M&S…<\/p>\n

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Swingin’ Sophie…!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A clearly delighted audience wouldn’t let the band depart without an encore, to which the group responded with a deft version of ‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,’ before audience and performers decamped to the foyer for post-gig mulled wine and mince pies. There was even some suitably seasonal headgear being sported by some of the audience too…<\/p>\n

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Phoebe’s hat-trick…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Big Band’s Christmas gig is always a favourite amongst audience and players alike, with a vibrant and celebratory atmosphere drawing the department’s term of music-making to a close. It’s been a terrific term; on behalf of the team here, huge thanks to all the students, staff, alumni and external members for your commitment and participation over the course of the autumn – we couldn’t do it without you. And as the sound of the Big Band recedes into the distance, it simply remains for me to say, as the band themselves did last night; have yourselves a merry little Christmas!\"WP_20151216_008\"<\/p>\n