Take Twenty are one of London’s premier jazz harmony singing groups and later this month they will be making their first appearance at the Marlborough International Jazz Festival. However, for their conductor, Adam Treadaway, this will be a welcome return to the Festival.
Take Twenty have been delighting audiences with their non-classical repertoire featuring arrangements of jazz, swing, bee-bop, hip-hop, pop and Latin standards, ever since their small beginnings in 1979.
The group has an extensive repertoire of 300 plus arrangements mainly original – written in-house by talented members past and present. While many of their numbers are sung without accompaniment, the majority feature piano and bass.
The group has now graduated from charity events – though you hardly need to graduate after performing at a huge charity gala at the London Palladium. Recently they have sung at a Christmas event at London Zoo, the Big Winter Sing at the Royal Festival Hall and an event at King’s Place alongside Eclectic Voices, the Real Group and the Swingle Singers.
Just the right company for a group that specialises in swing and complex, interesting harmonies for between four and eight parts.
Adam Treadaway became Take Twenty’s musical director in 2011. He was brought up in Swindon and was a member of the Swindon Young Musicians and last appeared at the Marlborough Jazz Festival when he was 17. He was a drummer and it was the summer of 2003.
Adam learned singing from the age of 10 with the Janice Thompson Performance Trust which was set up to spread the work of inspirational singing teacher Janice Thompson across the Swindon area.
Her alumni include West End singers, professional conductors and many professional singers and musicians. And Adam will be a guest conductor at the Trust’s tenth anniversary celebration at the Wyvern Theatre in Swindon on July 6.
Adam told Marlborough News Online that returning to Marlborough with Take Twenty will be a highlight of his career to date: “Anyone would feel privileged being asked to join the Festival – being local it resonates with me more than most. I am really looking forward to making music with Take Twenty and being a part of this wonderful event.”
And what will Take Twenty be singing for Marlborough? “The numbers are a huge mix of jazz standards, Latin numbers and some more unusual numbers from The King’s Singers and, for a three song finale, from Earth Wind and Fire – an eclectic mix of music.”
Marlborough News Online can reveal the play list for the Jazz Festival concert will include Let it be, I’ll take romance, I could write a book, So nice, Agua de beber, Afternoon delight and the trio of Earth Wind and Fire favourites: Blackbird, I’m a train and September.
They will also be singing Rainy days and Mondays – but we all hope for a sunny Jazz festival Saturday and Sunday – Monday can look after itself.
Take Twenty will be performing at St Mary’s Church on Saturday, July 19, 4.30-6.30pm.