Spike's Place: The Syd Lawrence Orchestra

Founded in 1967 by trumpeter and arranger Syd Lawrence, the fabulous Syd Lawrence Orchestra has been thrilling audiences in concert halls, theatres, TV shows and music festivals all over Great Britain and Continental Europe for over fifty years.

Renowned for its exciting blend of high-octane big band swing and classic dance music, the Orchestra’s repertoire ranges from the wartime million sellers of the legendary Glenn Miller through the era of the great Count Basie Orchestra, to the hit songs of Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald. Count Basie himself described the Syd Lawrence Orchestra as “So good it should be BANNED!”.

The Orchestra, directed since Syd’s retirement in 1996 by Chris Dean, has a repertoire of over 2,000 classic big band arrangements, featuring the songs of George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Harold Arlen, Hoagy Carmichael, and Irving Berlin. The orchestra has revived the romance, style and poetry of a bygone era, returning these beautifully constructed tunes to their original purpose. All these elements combine to make the Syd Lawrence Orchestra the most enduringly popular big band in Britain today.

Tickets for the concert will be restricted to 80, so booking online from the website or from Susan May is strongly advised.