Assembly Checkpoint, Bristo Place
Aug 13th (21.30) 14th (18.30) 15th (15.00)

Two weeks or so into the great festival of the arts this the Edinburgh Fringe a cavalry of colour has just rode into town, all guns blazing. A collaboration as romantic as Napoleon & Josephine, the Jive Aces swing band has found a perfect soul mate with the Satin Dollz. Together they gallop through their keenly-selected ouvre, drawn from the rich treasury of the last middle century, bringing each song to life with dancing, singing, costume changes, confidence & style.

All the band were splendidly dressed in the baggy trousers of the 1940s, & all were incredibly tight to the task & the tune. Jive Ace’s daddy-o crooner Ian Clarkson on trumpet & vocals, Vince Hurley on Piano, John Fordham on Tenor sax, Ken Smith bashing his double bass with a grin, Peter Howell on Drums, Alex Douglas on Trombone & the immensely welcome presence of Lottie B on Baritone sax. For the third song, like Valkyries of the Nibelungen, three of the Satin Dollz – the singers – flew in. The voices of Coco, Bella & Lena harmonized & energized. Into the next song bounded the dancing Dollz, Kitti & Peach, adding yet another dimension to the occasion. As the full package, the Aces & Dollz are pure performers, with songs like Shoo Shoo Baby & Too Darn Hot in particular being delivered with the most theatrical flourish.

“Swinging the Fringe” is our first show at the Fringe with the Satin Dollz – it is upbeat fun jive and swing music with the gals tap dancing, singing and great choreography with colorful frocks and suits with the style and glamor of the 40s and 50s
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The show had begun late, with the group telling the Mumble, ‘sorry about that, as it happens, surprisingly, 30 minutes isn’t enough to get one act off the stage and the audience out and then move and set up entire band equipment for 12 people from another floor!’ The show also ended late, on account of the stream of encores forced upon the Aces & Dollz by a full house audience which had increased in enthusiasm with every beat. Indeed, at the very end the entire audience stood up & were invited to leap themselves into the final dance – to which every single person acceeded with delight.

Damo