Swing - the pop music of jazz - which sent the devils of the dance floor crazy in the 1930s, is today enjoying a spectacular renaissance. Thanks to the 'golden age of radio', swing's pleasantly rocking melodies meant it found incredible popularity in the United States. This is the 13th occasion that the New Orleans Swing Festival brings the best hits of the genre to the Müpa Budapest stage at the end of August, giving us all the chance to enjoy a little sparkle at the end of the summer. The concerts for this year's festival pay tribute to some of the most important figures of the Jazz Age. The opening concert will see us celebrate the memory of Glenn Miller, one of the greatest figures of the swing era. The baritone trombonist and composer founded his own big band in 1937, revitalising the swing genre and rewriting the rules for big band orchestration. It took his band barely a year to reach the top, becoming the most popular band in the entire US. The evening will feature Miller's most popular compositions, including the song that lends its name to the title of the concert, In the Mood, performed by the very finest Hungarian swing musicians. Taking to the stage will be members of the Dixie Kings of Hungary, who are considered the successor band to the illustrious Benkó Dixieland Band. Trombonist and vocalist Iván Nagy will fill the shoes of Glenn Miller, joined by István Lázár and another Hungarian king of Dixieland, Gyula Molnár, founder of the Molnár Dixieland Band. The group will be accompanied by three brilliant and extremely versatile female vocalists, Réká Koós, Adrienn Fehér and Bernadett Tunyogi, who will use their theatrical expertise to transport the audience back to the golden age of jazz. When? 24 August 2018, Friday @ 20:00 - Müpa Festival Theatre Josephine Baker, the world-famous singer, dancer, actress - in other words, performance artist - first came to Budapest exactly 90 years ago, in 1928. In this concert, Nicole Rochelle and the Gramophonia Hot Jazz Orchestra, led by Tamás Bényei, will honour her memory. Josephine Baker was discovered as a street dancer, and came to New York from Saint Louis as a dancer in a vaudeville troupe, and appearing in clubs there she moved to Paris, which as a 19-year-old she chose as her new home, in 1925. While she became a celebrated star in France, her appearances in America continued to be unsuccessful. She received severe criticism, and was often the victim of racist attacks. During World War Two she supported the French Resistance and was also at the forefront of the African-American civil rights movement. Nicole Rochelle could be described as a 21st century Josephine Baker: like her great predecessor, she excels in nearly every branch of the performing arts, and she also chose France as her own second home. The Hot Jazz Band, the only jazz group to win the Kossuth Prize, have been working to bring recognition and appreciation for the popular music of the 1920s, 30s and 40s for more than 30 years with unparalleled success, earning a wide range of national and international recognition. The band's leader, Tamás Bényei, formed the Gramophonia Hot Jazz Orchestra big band in 2014 with the aim of revitalising the big band sound of the era. Together with Nicole Rochelle, the band are sure to create an unforgettably joyous atmosphere for this concert. When? 25 August 2018, Saturday @ 20:00 - Müpa Béla Bartók National Concert Hall The festival's final evening will evoke the essential figure of George Gershwin and his work, which forms a bridge between classical and jazz music. While many of those interested in these genres may believe they are deeply familiar with the composer of Rhapsody in Blue and An American in Paris, few truly know where he came from and what nourished his art. Nor is it widely known that while he was born in America, Gershwin was of Russian Jewish descent, and that as a child he was mostly interested in sports, not music. However, after his parents bought a piano for his older brother, George Gershwin sat in front of the instrument all day improvising. A Hungarian composer, Edward Kilenyi, played an important role in his studies, who from 1915 onwards taught Gershwin how to write music, musical theory and instrumentation and also introduced him to the works of Chopin, Liszt and Debussy. As a young man, he worked in a New York music store as a 'song plugger' - someone who played and sometimes even sang the hits of the day for shoppers. This is how he got to know the ins and outs of hit production, and the full repertoire of the popular music of the era. The quintet assembled by Béla Szalóky, and complimented by the two outstanding international guests Frank Roberscheuten and Rossano Sportiello, will show us what an important role one of the most influential composers of the 20th century played in the formation of classic jazz and swing. When?26 August 2018, Sunday @ 20:00 - Müpa Festival Theatre End the summer with some swing! Text: Müpa, photo: Pexels Go to profile