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MUSICIAN  |  PERFORMER  |  EDUCATOR

from 4barsrest

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The golden age of classic big band swing may have passed but echoes of its sumptuous brilliance will never fade. Mike Lovatt’s Brass Pack will see to that.

For one night only, the Harrogate Theatre was Studio A at 1750 Vine Street, Hollywood in peak 1950s early 1960s all over again – the freshness of the playing on the hits of Billy May, Gordon Jenkins, Elmer Bernstein, Alec Wilder and the like, a tribute in itself to the superb reimagining skills of Colin Skinner’s orchestrations.

Authenticity

This though was no pastiche tribute act. The scope and originality of his arrangements, the sheer pizzazz of the performers (a fantastic 25-piece band complete with French Horns, piano, tuba and harps to supplement the main brass, drums and percussion) and the supple, leonine leads of both Mike Lovatt and Matt Ford marked with an authenticity all of their own. 

The scope and originality of his arrangements, the sheer pizzazz of the performers and the supple, leonine leads of both Mike Lovatt and Matt Ford marked with an authenticity all of their own. 

It was bullseye playing from the outset; the ‘Sinatra Overture’  a taster menu of greatest hits from ‘New York, New York’  to ‘Chicago’  via ‘In the wee small hours’  and ‘Stranger in the Night’  that left you hungry for more.

And it came in Michelin star portions thereafter – from the ensemble instrumentals of ‘The Tender Trap’  and ‘Dindi’  to ‘You Make Me Feel so Young’  and ‘All the Way’ to a brilliant ‘May’s Way’  Billy May homage to the greatest Sinatra hit of all. 

Peak Sinatra

Matt Ford’s languid styling recalled peak Sinatra (who sang alongside the orchestra rather than in a booth for the Capitol recordings) – the classiest of takes on ‘In the Still of the Night’  taking you back in time. 

And the hits just kept coming; ‘Young at Heart’  followed by Lovatt’s sumptuous take on ‘Look to your Heart’  and the Frankie ‘Dealer Machine’ lead on ‘The Man with the Golden Arm’.  Ford’s triptych spotlight starting with ‘The Best is Yet to Come’  flowed with easy listening swagger.

There was also a lovely direct link made with the trumpet duet ‘The Moon was Yellow’  that saw Mike Lovatt team up with Tom Walsh, whose grandfather was its Canadian orchestrator, Robert Farnon.

A memorable evening of entertainment came to an epic climax with Colin Skinner’s ‘Sinatra in Hollywood’  medley that wove ‘Hooray for Hollywood’  to ‘My Kind of Town’  to ‘Three Coins on a Fountain’, ‘Luck be a Lady’,‘Who wants to be a Millionaire’  and more into a musical tapestry Nelson Riddle would have been proud of – and so would have ol’ blue eyes too.

Harry Blackledge 

Mike talks to 4BarsRest about the inspiration behind 'Francis Albert — A Capitol Reprise' and about how he aims to bring something new to the sound of Frank Sinatra's golden recording era with his newly-formed Brass Pack.

California what a great start to 2023!

Mike Lovatt played lead trumpet for
Seth 
MacFarlane & The San Francisco Symphony.
 
 JOIN MY TRUMPET GROUP ON FACEBOOK!

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Mike Lovatt's Brass Pack Award 
RELEASING THEIR FIRST PERFORMANCE ONLINE

Mike Lovatt's Brass Pack is a newly formed brass group inspired by the Iconic 1958 Capitol Records Album

Billy May's Big Fat Brass.

 

SEE THEM THIS SUMMER!
FRIDAY 11th AUGUST :
SNAPE MALTINGS

Following their successful debut performance at Harrogate International Festival, Mike Lovatt's Brass Pack is proud to be playing at the magnificent Snape Maltings Theatre on Friday 11th August 2023. MLBP with vocals from Matt Fordcomprises of 6 Trumpets, 4 Trombones, 4 French Horns, Piano, Bass, Guitar, Drums, Harp and Percussion Many players in this group have played together in the John Wilson Orchestra for the last 20 years and add their style and sophistication to the wonderful sound.

Mike Lovatt's Brass Pack Award 

4barsrest announce Carmen as a 3rd place winner
in their 2021 Recording of the year competition

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James Morrison features Brass Pack! 
James Morrison featured Mike Lovatt's Brass Pack on his BBC Radio 2 show Top Brass on Sunday 23rd January 2022.

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Listen to what he said about it here!

Excerpt from 'Carmen'Mike Lovatt's Brass Pack
00:00 / 03:32

WHITBURN 150!
MIKE LOVATT playing the fantastic Whitburn Band to celebrate their 150th milestone! Full house, and a brilliantly received concert!

Sold out Success @ Snape!

We have just returned from the magnificent Snape Maltings, one of the most iconic and acoustically superb venues in the UK. Our thanks go to our wonderful sell out audience, all 830 of you, for supporting our live event, and to the most incredible crew at Snape Maltings. The sound, lighting, organisation and welcome was second to none. We sincerely hope that we can visit the beautiful Suffolk coast again soon.

Photograph by Caroline Dockerill

ALLEN VIZZUTTI WITH MIKE LOVATT
Impromptu  solo battle!

MIKE LOVATT with JAMES MORRISON & THE BBC BIG BAND
- a pretty roasting lead trumpet chart!

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