Glenn Miller Orchestra, Richmond Theatre Richmond Theatre took a moonlight stroll down memory lane on Saturday night to the sounds of the 40’s. Forget your turkey trot and your jitterbug, we’re in dashing quickstep territory here to the boogie-woogie brass of the Glenn Miller Orchestra. The audience were treated to a toe-tapping medley of Glenn’s greatest hits including String of Pearls, Little Brown Jug, American Patrol and Moonlight Serenade but that just the beginning.

Ray McVay, the Orchestra’s founder and conductor, has spent a lifetime in the music business and was musical director for some of the hit-makers of the 50’s including Gene Vincent and Billy Fury. Ray’s first love, though, is the music of Glenn Miller. Glenn, both hugely popular in America and Britain, tragically died in a plane accident over the English Channel in 1944, on his way to Paris for a series of morale-boosting concerts for servicemen after the liberation of France.

Ray wanted to keep Glenn’s huge legacy alive and do justice to his music by putting together a group with an authentic feel that allowed a new generation of fans access to Glenn’s stunning back catalogue.

The second half of the evening burst into life with a fabulous rendition of Pennsylvania 65000. Colin Anthony, part of the Moonlight Serenaders who performs with the band, sang a string of Frank Sinatra hits to great applause followed by the charismatic Ray Wordsworth, who gave a wonderful performance of Dean Martin’s That’s Amore. Special mention needs to be made of Danny Hammerton on trumpet who put his heart and soul into that King of Swing Harry James’ classic You Made Me Love You. For good measure, Jan Messeder delighted the audience with Dame Vera Lynn’s most popular numbers and with a blistering finale that included the heart thumping In the Mood, it was a magical evening. Judging by the reaction of the audience who gave the Orchestra a standing ovation they thoroughly enjoyed the evening and just past the seventieth anniversary of the start of the Second World War it’s good to hear those wartime melodies live on.

Liz Colbert