Clowning around

5/12/2020

This song always stirred a little controversy in my family. My Mother couldn't stand it, but my Grandpop loved it: Stephen Sondheim's Send in the Clowns from the 1973 musical A Little Night Music. I side with Grandpop.

I think Grandpop enjoyed Judy Collins's take. Barbra Streisand recorded a version in the 80s which was very popular. Not surprising to you, I'm sure, Frank Sinatra's version is my favorite. He recorded it for 1973's Ol' Blue Eyes is Back, arranged by the great Gordon Jenkins, but I think Sinatra took it to another level when he sang it live, and there are a number of live recordings out there — it became a staple for him.

Interestingly, I read Bobby Short was the first to record it in a pop setting. I haven't heard that before, I'll be checking it out right after I'm done here. But I could imagine it being perfect for his unique voice and delivery.

At any rate, here's mine. I'm not sure I lived up to all of Sondheim's intricate instructions on how to deliver the lyrics, so hopefully he never finds himself down a rabbit hole on social media and comes across this. I assume he's got a lot of better things to do.

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Chris Six

Chris has been involved with big band, jazz and dance bands for over 30 years in central and southeastern Pennsylvania, the Washington DC metro region and the four-state area of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. A multi-instrumentalist, Chris has also performed in symphonic bands, brass quintets, orchestras and pit orchestras. He has served as a featured vocalist with the Swing Fever Dance Band and Brooks Tegler Big Band. Chris served as president of the Swing Fever Dance Band in 2002 and was a founding member of the Sound Advice Big Band. Chris is open to all opportunities and genres of music, and is happy playing any book in a section.

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WITH THE SWING FEVER DANCE BAND

Instruments: Trombone, trumpet, vocals, valve trombone, superbone, flugelhorn, mellophone and euphonium.

Interests/Experience: Big Band, Dance Band, Lab Band, Small Group Jazz, Swing, Trad/Hot Jazz, Western Swing, Great American Songbook, Barbershop, Harmony Groups, Rock, R&B, Soul, Funk, Country, Eclectic, Symphonic Bands, Orchestras, Pit Orchestra

Selected venues and events:

Sunnybrook Ballroom, Pottstown, PA
Long’s Park, Lancaster, PA
Pat Garrett Amphitheater, Strausstown, PA
Mid-Atlantic Air Museum World War II Weekend, Reading, PA
Olympian Ballroom, West Reading, PA
SS John Brown/Project Liberty Ship
MS Sovereign of the Seas, Royal Caribbean
Spanish Ballroom Glen Echo Park, Glen Echo, MD
Blues Alley, Washington, DC
Weinberg Center for the Arts, Frederick, MD
Carter Barron Amphitheatre, Washington, DC
George Washington Hotel, Winchester, VA
National World War II Reunion on the Mall, May 27-30, 2004
Apollo Civic Theatre, Martinsburg, WV
The Old Opera House, Charles Town, WV

Jazz Ensembles:

Sound Advice Big Band – Trumpet, Trombone and co-director
Swing Fever Dance Band – Trumpet, Trombone and Vocals
The Let’s Dance Orchestra – Trumpet and Trombone
The Brooks Tegler Big Band – Trumpet, Trombone and Vocals
For Dancers Only – Trombone
Swingin' Harmony - Trombone
Yesterday Swing Orchestra - Trombone
The Jordan English Jazz Orchestra– Trombone
Brass Impact brass quintet - Trombone

Recordings: Swing Fever Dance Band: Something to Swing About: 20 Years of Swing Fever

Clowning around

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Chris Six

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