 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(August 2009) |
| Twinwood festival | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Vintage music including swing, jazz and jive |
| Location(s) | The former RAF Twinwood Farm Airfield in Clapham, Bedfordshire, England, UK |
| Years active | 2002-present |
| Website | www |
Twinwood Festival is an annual vintage music and dance festival, held every August bank holiday weekend at Twinwood Arena in Clapham, Bedfordshire. [1]
Twinwood Festival is held at the former RAF Twinwood Farm Airfield in Clapham, Bedfordshire, England. [2] On 27 August 1944, Glenn Miller & his AAF band performed an outdoor concert at RAF Twinwood. The stage was a flatbed trailer, and the audience, which consisted of the R.A.F. personnel who worked at RAF Twinwood sat on the grass not far from the Twinwood Control Tower. Later on that year on 15 December 1944, Glenn Miller boarded a Norseman aircraft, from RAF Twinwood and he was never seen or heard of again. The disappearance of Glenn Miller from RAF Twinwood Airfield sparked a mystery that has fascinated the world ever since.
After World War II, R.A.F. Twinwood was decommissioned and the site lay almost untouched. In 1989 the company Twinwood Events was formed and work started on the restoration of the Twinwood Control Tower to convert it into the Glenn Miller Museum. In 2002 a celebration Glenn Miller concert was held to mark the completion of the restoration. The success of the Glenn Miller concert led to the birth of the annual Glenn Miller Festival, which was held over the August bank-holiday weekend, as the weekend often falls on or near 27 August.
Since 2002 the Glenn Miller Festival had grown, and in 2007 the name was changed to "Twinwood Festival" in order that a slightly wider genre of music could be performed at the festival, and it is now one of the largest vintage music festivals in Europe. Many well known swing, jazz, and jive bands and orchestras from the UK and Europe have performed at the festival, including The John Miller Orchestra, The Glenn Miller Orchestra, The Syd Lawrence Orchestra, Chris Smith and his String of Pearls Orchestra, King Pleasure and the Biscuit Boys, The Jive Aces, Blue Harlem, Bill Baker's Big Band Sticky Wicket and His Swing Band, The Kings Cross Hot Club, The RCA band, the Mike Sanchez band, and Max Raabe with the Palast Orchester.
In 2008 Twinwood Festival had four stages, each with a large sprung wooden dance floor in front and a host of live bands that performed continuously throughout the three-day festival amongst numerous other attractions.
In 2010, a further dance floor was added. [3]
In 2011 Twinwood Festival held its tenth anniversary event and has continued to grow year on year with a bigger line up of artists, more venues, larger dance floors and many other events and attractions across the whole site.
Vintage dance is the authentic recreation of historical dance styles.
Alton Glen "Glenn" Miller was an American big band conductor, arranger, composer, trombone player, and recording artist before and during World War II, when he was an officer in the US Army Air Forces. His civilian band, Glenn Miller and His Orchestra were one of the most popular and successful bands of the 20th century and the big band era. His military group, the Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra, was also popular and successful.
The music of Iowa includes such notable musicians as Rock and Roll Hall of Famers The Everly Brothers, Bix Beiderbecke, Art Farmer, Peggy Gilbert, Patty Waters, Mortimer Wilson, Thurlow Lieurance, Charlie Haden, Arthur Russell, Greg Brown, William Elliott Whitmore, Clarence Whitehill, Andy Williams, Meredith Willson, composer of The Music Man, and Alice Ettinger who was renowned enough to perform in Europe in the 1890s. Famed swing era musician and band leader Glenn Miller was born in Clarinda. Rock and metal bands from Iowa include For Today, Euforquestra, The Envy Corps, In Loving Memory, The Cassandra Disease, Hawks, Slipknot, Stone Sour, Radio Moscow, Modern Life Is War, Marmot, and Unknown Component. The city of Walnut is home to the National Traditional Country Music Association (NTCMA), which produces programs for local radio and television in Iowa. NTCMA also operates the Walnut Country Opera House, which is a theatre and home to several halls of fame and museums. The town of Clear Lake is known as the place the Big Bopper, Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens took off from on the day they died; their last performance was at the Surf Ballroom. The Escorts are one of the first bands to be inducted into the Iowa Rock N Roll Music Association's Hall of Fame. Sioux City brought to the National scene The Velaires, and rocker Tommy Bolin. Also from Iowa is Black Iowegian heavy blues artist John-Paul Jones Group.
The Wheatland Music Festival is a music and arts festival organized by the Wheatland Music Organization, a non-profit organization specializing in the preservation and presentation of traditional arts and music. Community outreach services include programming for Senior facilities and schools across mid-Michigan, year-round instrument lessons, scholarship programs, Jamborees, Traditional Dances, and Wheatscouts - a free program educating children through music, dance, storytelling, crafts and nature. Each year, the organization holds its annual Traditional Arts Weekend the weekend of Memorial Day, and its annual festival during the second weekend in September in the unincorporated community of Remus in the state of Michigan, in the United States. The first Wheatland Music Festival was held August 24, 1974.
Clapham is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Bedford in Bedfordshire, England. It had a population of 3,643 as at the 2001 census, increasing to 4,560 at the 2011 Census.
John Chalmers MacGregor, better known as Chummy MacGregor, a musician and composer, was the pianist in The Glenn Miller Orchestra from 1936 to 1942. He composed the songs "Moon Dreams", "It Must Be Jelly ", "I Sustain the Wings", "Doin' the Jive", "Sold American", "Cutesie Pie" in 1932 with Bing Crosby and Red Standex, and "Slumber Song".
Milton Ernest is a village and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, about 5 miles (8.0 km) north of Bedford itself. It had a population of 754 in 2001. This had risen to 761 according to the 2011 census. The village is situated on the east bank of the River Great Ouse, and is the site of Milton Ernest Hall, which was used as the United States Eighth Air Force's support command headquarters in the Second World War.
Royal Air Force Twinwood Farm or more simply RAF Twinwood Farm is a former Royal Air Force satellite station located 4 mi (6.4 km) north of Bedford, Bedfordshire, England. For the majority of World War II, the airfield was home to RAF night fighters.
Jerry Gray was an American violinist, arranger, composer, and leader of swing dance orchestras bearing his name. He is widely known for his work with popular music during the Swing era. He worked with the bandleaders Artie Shaw and Glenn Miller.
The Squadronaires is a Royal Air Force band which began and performed in Britain during and after World War II. The official title of the band was 'The Royal Air Force Dance Orchestra', but it was always known by the more popular title "The Squadronaires".
Norma Adele Miller was an American Lindy hop dancer, choreographer, actress, author, and comedian known as the "Queen of Swing".
The Corn Exchange is an events and concert venue located on St Paul's Square in the Castle area of Bedford, Bedfordshire, England. The structure, which was commissioned as a corn exchange, is a Grade II listed building.
The Rhythm Festival was an outdoor music festival held in Bedfordshire. From 2006 until 2010 it was held at Twinwood Arena, near the village of Clapham In 2011 the festival moved to Shuttleworth House, Biggleswade. The 2012 Festival was due to take place over the August Bank Holiday weekend but was cancelled and the festival has not taken place since then.
The Jive Aces are a six-piece UK-based, swing band that was formed in 1989. They were Britain's Got Talent semi-finalists in 2012. They have released 11 albums, as well as compilations, EPs and singles and have performed at numerous music festivals.
Boom Shot is a 1942 song composed by Glenn Miller and Billy May for the 20th Century Fox movie Orchestra Wives starring George Montgomery and Ann Rutherford.
"Doin' the Jive" is a 1938 song composed by Glenn Miller and pianist Chummy MacGregor. The song was released as a 78 single by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra on Brunswick.
Frank Holder was a Guyanese jazz singer and percussionist. He was a member of bands led by Jiver Hutchinson, Johnny Dankworth and Joe Harriott.
Richard Pite is a British professional musician and jazz historian specialising in the jazz of the early 20th Century. He is founder of two music companies - PartyJazz and The Jazz Repertory Company and is also the Director of Music for Boisdale which presents jazz and other live music on a nightly basis at its four London venues. For many years he specialised in 1920s music and the drum techniques and visual tricks of the era's jazz drummers and over the last 12 years has worked together with musical partner Pete Long, to preserve jazz history through live performance. Together they have recreated historic moments from jazz in association with The National Jazz Archive. For the 100th Anniversary of Gene Krupa's birth in 2009, Pite staged the only UK concert celebrating the life and work of the artist who was one of the most important and flamboyant drummers in jazz history.
Harry Lewis was an English saxophonist and clarinettist, who was best known as the husband of singer Vera Lynn.