Christmas in full ‘Swing’
Get with the seasonal cheer and deck the halls with swing and jazz music alongside En Route this Christmas. Colombo’s popular jazz band presents its debut Christmas Concert: “Christmas with En Route”, on Dec 22, 2017 at the Russian Cultural Centre from 8pm onwards for a night of music and comedy. En Route promises a unique night for its audience, and for those who like kicking it back with some old friends on a cozy Christmas evening.
Pic courtesy En Route
The resounding success of their three prior concerts that gained fame and appraisal for their music and setting, gave En Route the drive to broaden their entertainment canvass, and “Christmas with En Route” is set to be an experience that revolutionises the very idea of a Christmas concert. Leaning towards a more Broadway musical theme, and focus on live entertainment, the band will play original arrangements of everyone’s old time favourites giving it the unique feel of Big Band Swing and jazz, drawing inspiration from the style of the 50s and 60s and the genius of the legendary “Rat Pack”.
The evening will start out in a homely setting, with the band as a few old friends getting together to sing and enjoy Christmas. Along the way, some other friends will pop in to join and they will be none other than the guest performers of the evening: Shala Amarasuriya and Gyles Dharmarathne with a duet, and the voices of Trevina Abeysundara and Naveen Samarasekara. The band’s favourite “Dean Martin”, Kovindu De Seram will also join in with a selection of songs and laughter.
The band will hold true to its running theme, The Great American Song Book; the list of the most influential American popular songs and jazz canons from the early 20th Century, but add a twist in performing their own original musical arrangements with Gananath Dasanayake on saxophone and vocals, backed by the talented musicians: Maxwell Pieterz on double bass, pianist Dilip Seneviratne, Charith Fernando on drums and Ramesh Nonis on guitar.
The audience can expect jazzed-up original versions of their favourite old time Christmas songs played on brass instruments like ‘Chestnuts roasting’, ‘Have yourself a merry little Christmas’, ‘Winter Wonderland, ‘Baby it’s cold outside’, ‘O Holy Night’ and the most exciting performance of the night that the band is eager to present, an novel arrangement to ‘Silver Bells’.
“Christmas with En Route” is bound to be a lively, fun-filled night to remember and enjoy together with the whole family. A show not to be missed by those who yearn for a different side to the traditional Christmas entertainment, it will also gift the audience a chance to relive the glory days of the swinging 50s and 60s in the spirit of the holidays.
Tickets are priced at Rs 2000, please contact Kovindu on 077 808 3266 to reserve a seat for this unforgettable night.
(KC)