Tom's illustrious
career stretches from acting and singing, to television host and theatrical producer.
He first shot to stardom in the '80s when he was cast in the title role in the
box office hit, 'The Man from Snowy River', which became one of the most successful
Australian films ever made. This led to a string of starring roles in movies such
as 'Phar Lap', 'Eureka Stockade', 'Flesh and Blood', 'The Legend of Kootenai Brown',
'The Man from Snowy River II', and many more.
In the '90's, Tom revealed
that as well as being an immensely talented actor, he also had an amazing voice.
His first professional singing engagement was as the voice of the young Frank
Sinatra in the Warner Brothers mini-series 'Sinatra'. More recently, Tom created
and starred in the acclaimed theatrical production 'Frank - A Life in Song', which
played highly successful seasons at premier venues around Australia, including
Sydney's Star City and Melbourne's Crown Casino.
Now, Tom has delved even
deeper into the Great American Song Book to create 'Now We're Swingin', a montage
of swing classics by Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis Jr, Nat King Cole, Dean Martin,
Bobby Darin and Frank Sinatra, through to the songs made famous by supercool swingers
of the current era - Harry Connick Jr, Michael Bublé and Robbie Williams.
"This music is, to a degree, timeless," says Tom. "A lot of the
songs in the show were written for musicals produced in the 20s, 30s and 40s.
They have intelligent lyrics and melodic structure, and that's why they've become
classics of the genre."
Tom's show includes the greatest songs from
the era of swing, and the ones for which the individual singers became best known.
"I have included classics from Tony Bennett, who has fantastic pipes and
was Sinatra's favourite singer; Nat King Cole, who was smooth and jazzy; the multi-talented,
high-energy Sammy Davis Jr, Dean Martin, who was the epitome of cool, and Bobby
Darin who also had some big hits. "I don't set out to imitate how they sang
these songs, but many of the arrangements in the show are based on the originals,
whether by Nelson Riddle, Billy May, Quincy Jones and George Rhodes. If people
know a song well, they'll be familiar with our versions."
Tom says
his show would not be complete without a selection of Sinatra songs. "Many
people who come to see the show will be expecting to hear Sinatra. For me, he
was the greatest of them all, but that's not to say they weren't all great. "Sinatra
may not have had all the individual elements some of the other singers of the
era had, but when Sinatra sang a song, it got sung!" says Tom, who has loved
Sinatra's music since he was a child. "When I was only three years old, I
used to say to my mother 'Put on the man in the hat'. That was the album 'A Swingin'
Affair', which had a picture of Sinatra on the cover in his trademark fedora."
Tom has included all-time greats, such as I've Got You Under My Skin, Summer Wind,
That's Life and Mack the Knife in the Sinatra segment of the show.
Tom says
swing has become 'cool' again due to the immense popularity and success of artists
such as Harry Connick Jr, Robbie Williams and Michael Bublé, who have added
their own spin to some of the greatest swing songs. "If you like these people,
you will like what I'm doing in this show. I've found that younger audiences don't
realise that these songs were originally written and performed back in the '40s
and '50s. I like to set the record straight and make sure the audience knows who
they originally done by.
"I always joke that if the first time you
heard this song was on a Michael Bublé album, look further back. There's
no doubt Bublé is a huge fan of Sinatra and there's no doubt that Sinatra
would love to know that a younger audience still loves his songs." The song
list for the show is a feast of swing classics, including Sway, Just in Time,
Beyond the Sea, L-O-V-E, Birth of the Blues, The Way You Look Tonight, Ain't That
a Kick in the Head? and Feeling Good. It also includes Anything Goes and I Won't
Dance from the albums Songs for Swingin' Lovers and Tom's favourite Sinatra album,
A Swingin' Affair.
Accompanying Tom on stage will be an eight piece band,
including some of Australia's best jazz musicians. Book now for an evening of
timeless music with a dash of style as Tom Burlinson takes to the stage in Now
We're Swingin'.
TOUR DATES:
6 Aug Twin Towns
7 Aug North
Leagues & Services Kalanga (Brisbane)
14 Aug Rooty Hill
4 Sep Bankstown
Sports
11 Sep South Sydney Juniors (2 shows)
25 Sep Dee Why RSL
16 Oct Smithfield RSL
30 Oct Hornsby
6 Nov Blacktown Workers
