Thursday, May 21, 2009

John Altman's Big Band swings into LA!


John Altman, the Emmy-winning composer, conductor, arranger, musician and "The George Martin of The Rutles" electrified a packed ballroom at the Four Points Sheraton at LAX this afternoon as he led a swinging, brassy big band through original and classic compositions to launch the Los Angeles Jazz Institute's 2009 Big Band Festival.



The John Altman Big Band, featuring Altman's saxophone and a shiny brass section opened the four-day fest, which in a nod to Frank Sinatra, is dubbed A Swingin' Affair.


Altman flew into Los Angeles from London last week in time to be special guest as The Seventh Python opened the Pacific Palisades Film Festival. Altman appears in Frozen Pictures' film about Neil Innes, is in fact the star musician in the band that backs Innes in much of the concert footage and joins Innes in one of the biggest laugh-inducing gags of the film.

Neil Innes & John Altman in The Seventh Python

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