music scene
by Elena Scialtiel
Gibraltar’s Kings of Swing Fancy some Las Vegas’ golden-age glamour, with gentlemen in trilbys swinging the night away? Following their debut last spring and romancing the ‘lllladies’ at the Gibraltar Fair Family Pavilion, John Cruz, Freddie Field and John Charles Guy, a.k.a. the Swing Kings are ready to export their nostalgic tribute to the charismatic ’50s and ’60s Hollywood legends, Frank Sinatra & Co. They are off to nearby Castellàr this month, and to some Costa del Sol big gigs later, recreating an age and fad which raises tribute groups to status of fully-fledged artists. A joint Stage Musicals Productions and Musicali venture, the idea for the group came to John Charles a few years ago when he felt the urge to revive the guys and dolls’ lifestyle that made his parents’ generation fall in love, and to give a welcome break to his children’s generation from hip-hop, pop and rap, which he deems too ‘violent and xenophobic’, with its rough-around-the-edge heroes. He rang up his old stage buddies — the late Sean McCarthy (who tragically passed away last December) who had co-starred with him in the original Gibraltar musical Arrow; Freddie Field, recently in the spotlight as gentle crayon painter, but blessed with a vocal range
44
that allows him to surf confidently through the repertoire of many modern and contemporary melodic artists; and John Cruz, eager to shed the image of schizophrenic villain after his success as Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde in the musical staged at the Ince’s Hall, and as the Phantom of the Opera in a medley with Jamie Barry held at the Caleta Hotel. John Charles’s wife, Rosanna, is the producer who keeps them in check, with her iron fist in a velvet glove — patient and efficient in helping them staging a show of such magnitude, while
youngsters curious enough to look beyond a trite trip down memory lane with Granny will be rewarded with a slick show of musical glamour
busy with the children’s choir for even grander musical productions, like the enjoyable Oliver! last spring. The Swing Kings don’t just ape the outfits, mannerism, smooth moves and cool voices of the Rat Pack scatting on the notes of cults like Nice and Easy, Volare, Everybody Loves Somebody, That’s Amore, Come Fly with Me, Mack the Knife and Fly me to the Moon — they are re-interpreting, modernising, ‘jazzing up’ trademark songs with their own 21st Century personalities and expertise, to appeal to old and young generation alike. Oldies will be reminded of the way they used to be, and youngsters curious enough to look beyond a trite trip down memory lane with Granny (relating for the umpteenth time how she and Grandpa met) will be rewarded with a slick show of musical glamour. Although not classically operatic, the Swing Kings have stentorian ranges and great fluidity, adding colour to the music, each filling the shoes of one or two of the original performers. John Cruz for example ‘specialises’ in Sammy Davis Jnr and Nat King Cole, while Freddie thinks big and audacious by impersonating
GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2009