Alex Mendham | |
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Background information | |
Born | Essex, England | 13 September 1989
Genres | Jazz, British dance band, show tunes, cabaret |
Occupation(s) | Producer – singer – bandleader |
Instrument(s) | Vocals, saxophone |
Years active | 2010–present |
Labels | Decca Records |
Member of | Alex Mendham & His Orchestra |
Website |
Alex Mendham (born 13 September 1989 in Essex, England) is an English singer, saxophonist, and bandleader. He is best known as the founder and leader of Alex Mendham & His Orchestra. [1]
Founding his orchestra in 2010, Mendham, who has been described as a very classic British gentleman with a flawless and sophisticated attire, has risen to become Britain's premier bandleader recreating the glamorous, romantic music of the 1920s and 1930s by replicating the authentic aura of every song using careful arrangements and instruments from the era. [2] Performing in elegant attire from the Art Deco era, Alex and his Orchestra performed as the house band at London's luxurious Savoy Hotel, is frequently featured on BBC Radio [3] [4] and appeared on stage to sell out audiences in the UK, [5] Europe and USA. [6] [7] [8] He has been featured on the BBC and in journals including Forbes. [9]
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic that devastated the livelihoods of musicians, [10] Mendham signed to Decca Records for a project celebrating the career of Dame Vera Lynn, entitled Keep Smiling Through [11] and recorded his uplifting compilation of hot jazz standards and romantic songs, Puttin' on the Ritz.
Mendham launched a Kickstarter Campaign to fund his 2020 album exceeding his £7,000 goal with £11,120 pledged by 158 backers. Recording of the album and a series of concerts aboard Cunard's Queen Mary 2 on a transatlantic crossing to New York City was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, when lock down restrictions were temporarily eased in the UK, Mendham succeeded in assembling the orchestra and recording the album. [13]
"A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" is a British romantic popular song written in 1939 and published in 1940, with lyrics by Eric Maschwitz and music by Manning Sherwin.
"Puttin' On the Ritz" is a song written by Irving Berlin. He wrote it in May 1927 and first published it on December 2, 1929. It was registered as an unpublished song on August 24, 1927 and again on July 27, 1928. It was introduced by Harry Richman and chorus in the musical film Puttin' On the Ritz (1930). According to The Complete Lyrics of Irving Berlin, this was the first song in film to be sung by an interracial ensemble. The title derives from the slang expression "to put on the Ritz", meaning to dress very fashionably. This expression was inspired by the opulent Ritz Hotel in London.
"We'll Meet Again" is a 1939 song by English singer Vera Lynn with music and lyrics composed and written by English songwriters Ross Parker and Hughie Charles. The song is one of the most famous of the Second World War era and resonated with servicemen going off to fight as well as their families and loved ones.
"Baker Street" is a single by the Scottish singer-songwriter Gerry Rafferty, released in February 1978. It won the 1979 Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically and reached the top three in the UK, US and elsewhere. The song is known for its saxophone riff, written by Rafferty and performed by Raphael Ravenscroft.
Julian Mark Ovenden is an English actor and singer. He has starred on Broadway and West End stages, in television series in both the United Kingdom and United States, in films, and performed internationally as a concert and recording artist.
Phyllis Logan is a Scottish actress, widely known for her roles as Lady Jane Felsham in Lovejoy (1986–1993) and Mrs Hughes in Downton Abbey (2010–2015). She won the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer for the 1983 film Another Time, Another Place. Her other film appearances include Secrets & Lies (1996), Shooting Fish (1997), Downton Abbey (2019) and Misbehaviour (2020).
"(There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover" is a popular World War II song composed in 1941 by Walter Kent to lyrics by Nat Burton. Made famous in the United Kingdom by Vera Lynn's 1942 version, it was one of Lynn's best-known recordings and among the most popular World War II tunes.
Dame Vera Margaret Lynn was an English singer and entertainer whose musical recordings and performances were very popular during World War II. She is honorifically known as the "Forces' Sweetheart", having given outdoor concerts for the troops in Egypt, India and Burma during the war as part of the Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA). The songs most associated with her include "We'll Meet Again", "(There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover", "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" and "There'll Always Be an England".
We'll Meet Again: The Very Best of Vera Lynn is a compilation album by English singer Vera Lynn.
James Edward Wilbur (1898–1968) was a British bandleader and prolifically recorded musician identified with and influential in the era of Big Band and British dance band music.
Guildhawk, is a global technology led language services agency, headquartered in the City of London. The company was founded by Jurga Zilinskiene in 2001, and has developed into an international agency with multiple locations and over 3,000 staff, providing digital transformation, human and AI machine translation, digital human twins, transliteration of songs and scripts, interpreting, consulting localisation, voiceover, subtitling and more in over 200 languages. The firm uses database software Zilinskiene designed and evolved from the start of the business.
Alex Mendham and His Orchestra are a British dance band, led by Alex Mendham, that performs and records music from the 1920s and 1930s.
Jamal Aliyev is an Azerbaijani cellist.
Harry Lewis was an English saxophonist and clarinettist, who was best known as the husband of singer Vera Lynn.
"Don't You Remember When" is a song written by Lynsey de Paul and Barry Blue, that was released as a single by Vera Lynn on 20 February 1976 on the EMI record label, in the UK as well as in Europe. The song was recorded at the Marquee Studios, London and was produced by de Paul and she also sang backing vocals on the track. In an interview with Tony Robinson of the "Sunday Mirror" at the time, De Paul said "I was absolutely thrilled at working with Dame Vera". Ringo Starr, who was de Paul's partner at the time, was widely reported as playing the tambourine on the song, with Lynn recently recalling this in a 2019 interview in Saga Magazine. The music collectors magazine "Goldmine" listed it as one of Starr's 5 greatest session performances. De Paul also produced the B-side of the single, "That Old Feeling", written by Lew Brown and Sammy Fain. The English keyboard player, pianist and composer Tony Hymas, who had worked with de Paul before on her Love Bomb album and who went on to be a member of the duo Ph.D., arranged the song. The song received favourable reviews, with the Record Mirror writing that the song is "a perfect vehicle for her with a well-honed nostalgic lyrics and lots of big long notes". Lynn performed the song on her own BBC 1 TV show.
On with the Show is the third studio album by British dance band Alex Mendham and His Orchestra, released in July 2017.
This is a summary of the year 2020 in British music.
In Tune is a British music magazine programme on BBC Radio 3. It is broadcast in the weekday evening "drive time" slot and features a mix of live and recorded classical and jazz music, interviews with musicians, and arts news. It is billed as "Radio 3's flagship early evening music programme".
Daniel Fardon is a British composer of contemporary classical music.
Downton Abbey: The Ultimate Collection is the third and final soundtrack that accompanied the ITV historical television series Downton Abbey. Composed by John Lunn and performed by the Chamber Orchestra of London, the album consisted of 23 songs, mostly from the television score and three songs performed by Mary-Jess Leaverland and Eurielle. It was released on 15 January 2016 through Decca Records.