Tom Burlinson can’t wait to get back to Twin Towns where, last year, he launched his new show Now We’re Swingin’.
The show is a swinging salute to the masters of the genre – the men who were born to swing, croon and sing.
According to Tom, it builds on his very successful show ‘Frank – A Life In Song’ and brings to life the music of other legends including Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis Jr, Nat King Cole, Dean Martin, Bobby Darin and of course Frank Sinatra. With this show Tom has been out and about around Australia, taking the music to major centres outside the big cities.
And audiences of all ages have been responding – why wouldn’t they? This is the music that the Baby Boomers grew up with and that the Generation X and Ys have rediscovered. And they are presented by someone we’re all familiar with, thanks to his iconic movie roles in ‘The Man From Snowy River’, ‘Eureka Stockade’ and ‘Phar Lap’.
In the ’90s, Tom revealed that, as well as being a talented actor, he also had an amazing voice. His first professional singing engagement was as the voice of the young Frank Sinatra in the Warner Brothers mini-series ‘Sinatra’.
Tom’s show includes the greatest songs from the era of swing, and the ones for which the individual singers became best known.
“I have included classics from Tony Bennett, who has fantastic pipes and was Sinatra’s favourite singer; Nat King Cole, who was smooth and jazzy; the multi-talented, high-energy Sammy Davis Jr; Dean Martin, who was the epitome of cool; and Bobby Darin who also had some big hits,” he said
“I don’t set out to imitate how they sang these songs, but many of the arrangements in the show are based on the originals, whether by Nelson Riddle, Billy May, Quincy Jones or George Rhodes. If people know a song well, they’ll be familiar with our versions.”
Tom says his show would not be complete without a selection of Sinatra songs.
“Many people who come to see the show will be expecting to hear Sinatra. For me, he was the greatest of them all, but that’s not to say they weren’t all great.
“Sinatra may not have had all the individual elements some of the other singers of the era had, but when Sinatra sang a song, it got sung!” says Tom, who has loved Sinatra’s music since he was a child.
Accompanying Tom on stage will be a sixteen-piece band, including some of Australia’s best jazz musicians. Book now for an evening of timeless music with a dash of style as Tom Burlinson takes to the stage ‘Now We’re Swingin’ at Twin Towns.
WHO: Tom Burlinson
WHERE: Twin Towns, tickets $47
WHEN: Saturday, July 2, 8:30pm