Band tunes up for the Jubilee
5:37pm Tuesday 24th January 2012 in Music By Josh Layton
Band tunes up for the Jubilee
A SWINDON jazz and swing band will provide the perfect musical accompaniment for the Queen's Jubilee — with a special rendition of God Save the Queen.
The Nathan Jones Allstars Jazz Band will perform the national anthem, along with a host of more uptempo songs, at Queen’s Park in July.
The event is one of the first in the town which has been arranged to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee, marking 60 years of the monarch’s reign.
Nathan Jones, trumpet player and lead member, said: “We performed at Queen’s Park last year and are really pleased with what we are doing for the Jubilee as part of a large event.
“We are going to be closing the show, which I think will have a vintage theme.
“Last time round the park was sunny, pleasant and a great place to come and hear music, and we hope it will be the same for the Jubilee.”
Mr Jones is a teacher at Isambard Community School but started Swindon’s newest big band about two years ago. Honouring the Queen will be a new experience for the musical troupe, whose motto is ‘Keeping music alive and swinging’.
“We have been asked to play the national anthem, which will be a new one for us,” he said.
“We have found the arrangement but we are not going to swing it too much and will be playing it straight and playing it properly. It should be a nice close to the afternoon.”
The Allstars are Swindon’s newest 18-piece big band, playing music ranging from Sinatra, Miller and Basie to modern arrangements from the likes of Robbie Williams and Michael Buble.
The band has played about 34 gigs to date, including weddings, community events and shows around Wiltshire.
The 28-year-old musician, of Highworth, believes the Queen would approve of the choice of music to close the day. “I’m going to hedge a bet and say the Queen is a jazz fan. Big band music is probably about her era. I’m sure she has some CDs in her collection,” he said.
Queen’s Park itself has a distinguished history to match the occasion.
The park was created in two phases between 1949 and 1964, being designed to reflect the informality of the 1960s. The Garden of Remembrance, created to commemorate those who fell in the Second World War, was officially opened by the then Princess Elizabeth in November 1950.
l The Allstars will perform in the park at 4pm on July 22. More information about the event and others planned for the Jubilee will appear in the Adver over coming weeks.
