By JOHN BURNETT By JOHN BURNETT ADVERTISING Tribune-Herald staff writer On Monday night, there was music in the air at the Kamana Senior Center. In one room, seniors were singing karaoke songs, mostly in Japanese. But the sound in the
By JOHN BURNETT
Tribune-Herald staff writer
On Monday night, there was music in the air at the Kamana Senior Center. In one room, seniors were singing karaoke songs, mostly in Japanese. But the sound in the adjoining room was louder and decidedly different, with Marius Stranger’s Island Swing Orchestra rehearsing big band classics in preparation for their monthly dance gig at the Hilo Elks Club.
The drummer laid down a mambo rhythm and the band struck up the sensual strains of “Sway.” The arrangement was the “speed up” version of the song by the Pérez Prado Orchestra, with statuesque Kau‘i Trainer taking on the vocal made familiar more than five decades ago by Rosemary Clooney. The song also appeals to younger audiences — who, if they know Clooney at all, think of her only as George Clooney’s aunt — as it was covered in 2003 by Michael Bublé and in 2004 by the Pussycat Dolls.
“I think she sounds pretty good,” Stranger said after the band finished the song. Clearly he was understating his case. Trainer, a Molokai native with a background in opera, sounds like she was born to sing big band music.
“I like jazz music, but it’s Marius” who convinced her to sing with the band after asking her on more than one occasion, Trainer said. She added that she had never sung jazz before.
Stranger, originally from Norway, is also a vocalist with a background in classical music, but expresses an affinity for the “great American songbook.”
“For me, the big band music is like classical. I’ve always liked old music,” he said. “… The more I go back in time, the more I like it. Big band is classy; it’s got style. It’s really nice to listen to.”
The band, which boasts 16 pieces, plus Trainer and Stranger on vocals, plays numerous original arrangements, including: Benny Goodman’s “Sing, Sing, Sing” and “Let’s Dance”; Glenn Miller’s “Tuxedo Junction” and “A String of Pearls”; Pérez Prado’s “Mambo No. 5”; and Tommy Dorsey’s “I’m Getting Sentimental Over You.”
“Marius is a very strong promoter for the original arrangements,” Trainer said. “… He’s always saying, ‘This is the way the song originally went.’”
Stranger said he started the big band five years ago and has seen it improve steadily since.
“Last year, we started gigging at the Elks Club every month. Then things started to happen,” he said. The magic, he said, started with the addition of Trainer, and another vocalist, Elena Welch, who is taking a break from the band to concentrate on teaching children in a summer music camp. Videos on YouTube show the band playing to a busy dance floor at the Elks Club, including members of the dance group Hilo Hep Cats.
“I love to watch the dancers, especially when they do Latin tango, rumba, things like that. I think it’s just gorgeous to watch the dancers,” Stranger said.
Added Trainer: “Singing for the dancers makes it really enjoyable, because they’re so appreciative of the music.”
Stranger said that the band is more a labor of love than anything else and that the financial compensation is minimal.
“It’s basically gas money,” he said.
The band’s next date is Saturday, June 16, from 7-10 p.m. at the club, 150 Kinoole St. in downtown Hilo. Tickets are $10 advance, available at Basically Books, 160 Kamehameha Ave. in downtown Hilo, and $15 at the door.
Email John Burnett at
jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
