Down for the Count Orchestra
at The Stoller Hall, Manchester
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Please note: Info provided by the Event Organiser
Kick off the festive season in style with the sensational Down for the Count Swing Orchestra, as they head to Manchester’s Stoller Hall for their much-loved annual show, Swing Into Christmas!
This is a Christmas celebration like no other – the unique 32-piece big band with strings recreates the music of Nat ‘King’ Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday and many more in their own inimitable style.
Fast becoming a Christmas tradition in Manchester, Swing Into Christmas features joyful recreations of classic tunes from the swing era. You’ll enjoy recreations of classics including The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting), New York, New York, I’ve Got You Under My Skin, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas and The Most Wonderful Time of the Year performed in authentic big-band-with-strings style, along with many fantastic new song selections for the 2025 show.
The Down for the Count Swing Orchestra are one of the UK’s most highly regarded vintage ensembles, having sold out numerous shows at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, The London Jazz Festival, Cadogan Hall and more.
It may be cold outside, but a night with the Down for the Count Swing Orchestra is guaranteed to leave you in the warm glow of the holiday spirit.
Down for the Count Orchestra
The Down for the Count Orchestra is a vintage orchestra which performs the music of Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Nat 'King' Cole, Ella Fitzgerald and many more. The Down for the Count Orchestra is our largest line-up, and is an expanded version of our All-Stars Band - featuring a larger horn and rhythm section, and a luscious string section. The result has been described by DownBeat magazine as "a sonic ride back to the sounds of Capitol Studios in the 1950s" - and a recent review of our tour said "you won't find a better interpretation of these golden tunes anywhere in the UK right now" (Stage Reviews). The Orchestra performs faithful transcriptions of some of the greatest hits of the Swing Era, taking its main inspiration from the Capitol Studios recordings that bought Frank Sinatra, Nat 'King' Cole and Peggy Lee to worldwide fame, and the influential Ella Fitzgerald "Songbook" sessions, masterminded by Norman Granz. Our show also explores the various ways jazz and swing musicians have involved strings in their music - so you might see and hear excerpts from the Charlie Parker With Strings albums, or recreations of classic tunes from the Tommy Dorsey or Harry James big bands of the 1940s (both of which involved strings). We also breathe new life into jazz standards, with original arrangements and orchestrations written by our principal conductor Mike Paul-Smith and associate musical director Simon Joyner. Above all, every song is performed with love and respect for the original artists, and the collective friendship of the musicians on stage rubs off on audiences who return to see the Orchestra over and over again.
See Down for the Count Orchestra tour dates
Down for the Count Orchestra image © timhiggs116@yahoo.com
The Stoller Hall
Hunts Bank
Manchester
M3 1DA
- Website:
- stollerhall.com
See all events at The Stoller Hall
Down for the Count Orchestra image © timhiggs116@yahoo.com
The Stoller Hall
Hunts Bank
Manchester
M3 1DA
- Website:
- stollerhall.com
See all events at The Stoller Hall
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on Sat 13 December 2025