BBC Big Band concert coming to Stafford

The BBC Big Band is coming to the Stafford Gatehouse Theatre with their Nat 'King' Cole concert.

The show celebrates the music of Nat Cole, an American jazz pianist who wrote and recorded over one-hundred songs before he died in 1965.

Conducted by Barry Forgie, the concert will be accompanied by archive photos, projected onto the stage.

Jemma Harrison, the press and marketing manager of the Gatehouse, said: "The concert celebrates the music of perhaps the most iconic vocalists of the Twentieth Century - whose legacy and influence continues to form a cornerstone popular culture and crossed the boundaries of jazz and popular music.

"Featuring classic versions of Nat's most famous songs, alongside a selection of music from the orchestras that Nat loved to work with through his incredible career, all alongside a backdrop of projected images, makes this an evening of world-class entertainment which is not to be missed.

Michael Parkinson said: "They brilliantly continue the tradition of Big Band music – as such they are important, as well as marvellous."

The performance will begin at 7.30pm on Monday, April 8, and tickets will cost £27.

By Aidan Short