Less than a year ago, Big Band Brothers staged the first edition of their One Night Stand concert.
The performance not only delivered on the promise of an entertaining evening but also projected the band’s versatility over a variety of covers reworked to accommodate the Big Band Brothers extended line-up.
The concert’s second edition will take place at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta on Saturday. Band leader Daniel Cauchi promises this year’s performance will exceed the first edition “as much for the music we’ve prepared as for the presentation”.
There are, apparently, surprises in store, but as one can imagine, Cauchi is careful not to let the cat out of the bag.
The past year has been an eventful one for Cauchi and his band of merry men (and one woman).
“It was also a very inspiring year in that much of the work we did brought us closer to Maltese music.”
In particular, he mentions the performance commissioned by the Malta Arts Festival, which involved reviving a number of classic Maltese songs from the 1970s and giving them a big band arrangement with a contemporary feel.
“We also worked with the Nafra folk ensemble on a crossover project,” he continues.
“Ruben (Zahra, Nafra founder) wrote music with the specific aim of blending traditional Maltese instruments and the big band’s multiple elements. It was both interesting and very challenging.”
Just as challenging was the band’s Għanafest performance, in which they performed a selection of songs off the Malta’s Lost Voices collection that Andrew Alamango released in 2010 after years of meticulous research.
Another milestone in the Big Band Brothers’ history was achieved a few weeks ago with the release of their debut single, Rain Or Shine.
“For several years, we’d been playing other people’s music, so it was perhaps time to step up and start writing our own songs too”.
The song, (obviously) brass-driven but with a hint of rocksteady rhythm at its core and a catchy tune to boot looks set to open a new door for the band; an album perhaps?
“It’s still too early to tell; our immediate concern is the One Night Stand concert on Saturday,” Cauchi replies cautiously.
“We’ll be performing Rain Or Shine live for the first time too.”
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