Swingin’ at the Savoy will take you back to the fun, glamorous and entertaining days of the swing era! Think of the Gatsby days and gangsters but also of swing dancers from the 50’s and that’s what this band conjures. The band play infectious music from the likes of Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Peggy Lee and many other greats.
They have a good following among the swing dance community, who regularly attend their shows. Swingin’ at the Savoy will get you snappin’ your fingers, dancing and keep a big smile on your face!
The band regularly have sell-out shows at jazz clubs; festival events, river cruises and regional events. They are perfect to be booked for roving shows throughout WA! They will get any crowd up, dancing and having fun in no time!
They are getting ready to go into the studio to record their debut album and have recently toured their popular show (The Stories of Swing) playing at large entertainment centres around the state of WA – thanks to CircuitWest and Regional Arts WA. They are currently providing this show too.
The band can also hire choreographer/dancers at times to dance on stage with the band if suitable for a particular event.
The individual band members have a great deal of experience in playing many styles of jazz and are well sought-after musicians, both in Western Australia and overseas.
Randa Khamis – Lead vocals:
Randa is an internationally acclaimed singer/songwriter who has released two singles and two albums worldwide on London label, Freestyle Records. She is just about to release her third album and is regularly invited interstate and overseas to perform. She has played across the UK, Spain and France.
Sid Hennessy-Double bass/vocals:
Sid was tutored by the renowned double-bassist, Geoff Chalmers and has performed extensively in the UK, Japan and around Australia. He is also a singer and songwriter, playing to audiences of up to 11,000 people. Sid also plays double-bass in the gypsy jazz outfit, Voudou Zazou. In addition to this, Sid enjoys creating shows and special events, many of which are jazz-themed.
Mark Wearing – Woodwinds/vocals:
Mark [AKA Mr.E.Mann] has a penchant for woodwinds (saxophone/clarinet/ xaphoon) and keys (piano/accordion/melodica/keytar). He composes for films, animations, games and performs with Voudou Zazou (gypsy jazz).
Jacob Greenmount-Piano:
Jacob has been playing piano for 15 years and is currently studying jazz at WAAPA. He has played extensively in WA and also performed in Paris and in New York (with renowned jazz musicians, Brad Shepick and Tom Scott). Jacob has also composed several albums which have been used in movies and video games.
Francisco Munoz-Drums:
Frank graduated from WAAPA in 2019. He has been performing in an array of different bands in Perth: Junkadelic brass band, Orquestra Yambeque, Late Night Organ Donors, Randa and the Soul Kingdon and others. He has toured the USA, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Darwin.
Steve Vacca-Guitar:
Since graduating from the WA Academy of Performing Arts in 2013 with a Jazz performance degree, guitarist Steve Vacca has thrown himself at a menagerie of musical endeavours, locally and abroad, ranging from blues, funk, trad jazz to fusion.
