Profile
MALA Swing Mini Big Band, playing classics from the golden era of jazz: the swing era. They bring the sound of early big band swing to China, in miniature form. Performing the well-known songs by the giants of the genre: Duke Ellington, Chick Webb, Benny Goodman, Ray Charles, as well as Tin Pan Alley and Broadway standards in the style of Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald, along with contemporary torch-bearers such as Michael Buble and Naomi Uyama, with true-to-the-original and stylistically authentic arrangements by bandleader Elad Sobol.
What is jazz?
The music also has elements of early American folk and vaudeville, marching band music, and the black gospel church. It has undergone numerous transformations throughout the 20th century, becoming a massively important musical form, popular enough to gain widespread appeal, yet sophisticated enough to gain widespread artistic appreciation, creating its own unique musical system and form, and continues to be influential to nearly every modern musical genre worldwide. What is jazz?
Jazz is an original American musical form, its roots arriving from the African slave trade, born in the melting pot of the first multicultural city of New Orleans, infused with the blues in Chicago and Kansas City, and developed in New York, where it was refined with the elegance and sophistication of modern orchestration and mixed with the popular music of Broadway and Tin Pan Alley, becoming the soundtrack of the raucous Prohibition Era and burgeoning a dance craze that continues to this day.
The main feature of jazz is improvisation, where the musician composes music on the spot, without knowing in advance what he will play, and the other musicians accompany, or “comp” in an improvisational manner, by listening and reacting. The other distinguishing feature is “swing” rhythm, which is derivative of African drumming and gives the music a propulsive motion and irresistible groove.
What is big band swing?
In the 1920s, Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Fletcher Henderson set a standard of how to orchestrate and organize a jazz big band. With 4 sections: trumpets, trombones, saxophones, and rhythm section, these big bands were able to get a wide variety of sound colors, and play forcefully enough to be heard in huge crowded dance halls in the time before electric amplification. These early pioneers transformed popular dance pieces by giving them fresh and exciting arrangements, organized by alternating the brass with the horns and playing off the explosive rhythm section, and having free unwritten sections where outstanding soloists could show off their skill and personality, backed up in a variety of ways.
As illegal underground bars flourished in the Prohibition Era, they all searched for ways to attract customers by hiring the best and most exciting bands, and this in turn helped to drive forward the progression of jazz music, as musicians and bandleaders constantly worked to outdo one another in bolder and more innovative ways. Later, white bands like Benny Goodman (The “King of Swing”), Glenn Miller and Paul Whiteman, were also playing this style of “hot music”, and taking it to a wider mainstream audience. When prohibition ended and the Great Depression began, big bands fell out of favor as smaller bands became more common, and the advent of Bebop took jazz music away from commercialism and more towards individual artistic expression and innovation, but the best big bands managed to survive.
What is swing dancing?
Swing dancing caught fire in the early 1920s when two dance teachers, Vernon & Irene Castle, broke the stigma of a dance that was deemed to be too sexy and too Africanized, in a conservative and racist America. Their way of dancing and teaching became easily accepted by a wider audience, and the dance moved out from the underground late-night bars to the public eye of the largest ballrooms and competitions. Swing dancing also helped break the race barrier, as the first integrated (all races welcome) entertainment venue, The Savoy Ballroom, was also New York’s most popular dancehall, where the best dancers and the best bands played, constantly reaching for new heights as the music and the dance developed.
Other dance forms like blues (slow dance), Charleston (fast), and Shim-sham (group dance) continue to thrive alongside the main dance styles: West Coast, Jitterbug, and the most popular and well-known: Lindy Hop, which began at the Savoy Ballroom and became popularized by teachers and performers Frankie Manning and Norma Miller. Today, swing dancing still enjoys widespread popularity around the world, including China, where new generations continue to learn the exhilarating moves and steps of swing at Mala Swing Dance Studio.
About the Band
Elad Sobol – Saxophone
Los Angeles, USA
Born to Israeli immigrants in the diverse melting pot of Los Angeles, near the border of Mexico, was exposed to and influenced by many different kinds of music, people and cultures. Studied music at University of California, Santa Cruz, B.A. 2006. Studied music education at San Jose State University, California Teaching Credential Public School Certification 2010. Studied privately with notable music educators: George Marsh, Bruce Becker, Ray Brown, Dave Wolford, Rick Rossi. Regularly performs with and leads a jazz/pop and throwback swing band in Chengdu. He is currently working as a music professor in the Jazz Department of Sichuan Conservatory, Chengdu.
Became interested in salsa music in college and has been dancing ever since, gradually enlarging his hobby to also include Bachata, Argentine Tango and Swing. He has a deep understanding of the connection between the music and dance.
曾锐/Ray – Lead Singer
Chengdu, China
Originally from Chengdu, local jazz singer. Received much musical influence from an early age, adept at Jazz, blues, R&B musical styles. Graduated from Sichuan Dance Academy majoring in dance, where he learned American Hip-hop and street dance from American teacher Tom D. In 2005 he won a competition by Baishixing Factory. In 2010 he studied with Michael Jackson’s teacher, Bobby Taylor. Under the direction of celebrated Taiwanese teacher Changde Xu, he won the “One Million Stars” competition. After that he began working professionally in Singapore and Hong Kong as a singer, where he collaborated with many outstanding musicians from around the world. After returning to Chengdu, he teamed up with Swing Chengdu to help establish, with an international unity of musicians, to form Mala Swing. He sings Broadway classics in authentic and nuanced fashion.
Mark Guttenplan – Piano
New York, USA
After graduating from university, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston for 2 years,where he studied Jazz arranging, Music theory, and Performance. Since 1979 Mark has taken to the road and has performed all over the world, first with Top 40 Bands, then Jazz trios, Rhythm and Blues, Beach Music, Reggae, Hard Rock, Classic Rock, FM Rock and almost every variation of Pop Music until in 1985 he return to his first love – the Acoustic Piano!Worked as a Cocktail Pianist for Carnival Cruise Lines for almost 14 years.
He brought with him upon his return to the Solo Piano a wealth of styles, experiences, approaches, and most important, a Repertoire rarely seen in a solo pianist. He has recently released his first CD, which is a culmination of over 30 years as a working musician. In the last 3 years, he has played all over Chengdu, including weekly at The Bookworm and Niccolo Hotel, with bands, singers and as a solo pianist.
Jack Greminger – Drums
Los Angeles, USA
Graduated from Long Beach City College 1987 and began playing professionally in the US，studied with legendary drummer Sherman Ferguson. Moved to Hong Kong in 2009 and played professionally for six years in a variety of jazz groups for concerts and special events. Most recently worked in the house band in Vinoteca in Chengdu, Chengdu Big Band, private drum instructor and professional for hire for special events.
Seven “小七” 廖宇峰 – Guitar
Chengdu，China
Professional jazz guitarist, currently a faculty member in the jazz department of Sichuan Conservatory of Music. Graduated from Capital University Columbus Ohio with a Master’s Degree in Jazz Pedagogy. Studied with renowned jazz drummer Robert Breithaupt, guitar player Stan Smith and bass player Lou Fischer.
Seven has performed with some of the talented musicians in the US and Canada, including Murray James Morrison, James Beamount, Smitty Supab, Danny Bower, Tony Bernardi, Max Marsillo etc.
Seven had also formed his original band Dervish in 2014, and later formed his funk trio with some of the best local players in Chengdu, including Bodo Von Zingler, the bassist for renowned Chinese singer Tan Wei Wei, and Ukrainian drummer Nikola.
Harrison Wardley – Bass
Melbourne，Australia
Harrison Wardley has been involved in the International music scene for over five years. Majoring in Jazz double bass at the Monash Music Conservatory in Melbourne, he has gone onto accompany some of the biggest figures in the Australian and International Jazz scene. Playing and studying with the likes of Harry Angus (Aus), George Garzone (USA), Don Borrows (AUS), Aaron Goldberg (USA) and Paul McCandless (USA). Since moving to Chengdu in early 2016, Harrison has continued a busy performance schedule. Performing regularly in music venues around Chengdu, such as Machu Picchu, Shamrock and Sean’s Bar. He now teaches jazz bass as an adjunct professor at Sichuan Conservatory.
Alexander Walden – Trombon
Orlando, USA
Alexander Walden has won numerous awards for solo competitions in the United States and internationally. He is a winner of the American trombone workshop competition, NFAA Young Arts, the International Trombone Associations Robert Marsteller competition, finalist in the International Brass competition Jeju Korea, Winner of the inaugural Texas State Trombone Symposium, and finalist in the Yale University Woolsey competition. Alexander attended the Interlochen Arts Academy for high school and was the only musician awarded the top music prize upon graduating. Alexander completed his Bachelors degree at the prestigious Curtis Institute in Philadelphia and recently earned his Masters degree at the Yale University.
陈征, “Bob” – Trumpet
Shandong, China
AKA “Big Flower”graduated in 2009 from Sichuan Conservatory, majoring in Trumpet. He continues to play trumpet professionally in reggae band Jahwahzoo, where he also writes and arranges, and plays guitar in a ska band as well. Proprieter of “Big Flower”hand-made ice cream.
MALA Swing Mini Big Band
时间｜TIME
2018.06.08（周五）
Friday, June 8, 2018
8:30pm
地点｜ADDRESS
NU SPACE
成都市青羊区奎星楼街9号
明堂创意工作区B区
9 Kuixinglou St, Qingyang, Chengdu
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