La Dolce Vita Swing Collective

I’d never heard of La Dolce Vita Collective before, so had no idea what to expect but this sounded like it would be a lot of fun and a great way to start feeling Christmassy. I arrived first, and was greeted by Tony (also the singer) who very helpfully managed to get us a couple of spare seats at a table. A table! At the Voodoo Rooms main stage, no less! The format Early on we learned the gig would be performed in two halves – with a 15-minute interval – and would include a mix of Christmas and more contemporary songs with a swing jazz twist to them. There was also some patter from Tony, and some utterly terrible Christmas cracker jokes to lighten the mood. Tony also made it clear he wanted there to be some dancing in the second half, however it was really quite crowded and there wasn’t much floor space, so I was unconvinced. The vibe The gig was very spirited, and full of feel-good Christmas vibes for the most part. Everyone was there to have a good time, a bit of a dance, and a singalong. The show itself The show itself, I can’t fault. The band performed smoothly and professionally, including numbers such as Walking in a Winter Wonderland, White Christmas, Let it Snow, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Fly Me to the Moon, Route 66, Jingle Bells, Now or Never, and so many more! My favourite parts of the night were actually Frosty the Snowman and Feliz Navidad!! All of the greats were in there, including the likes of Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald, Bobby Darin, and Louis Prima.

It starts with hum, then a toe-tap and before you know it you are singing along to the tunes that you know so well. But what’s better, a night with the La Dolce Vita Swing Collective introduces you to new arrangements of those popular songs with an Italian-esque twist – as well as showcasing a selection that won’t be so familiar. The five-piece swing/jazz band – featuring piano, bass, sax, drums and vocals with those specially designed new arrangements – pays homage to likes of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Tony Bennett and other Rat Pack favourites. Vocalist Tony Delicata put together the band with a collection of musicians whose previous talents range from West End musicals to The Jools Holland Band. Their debut concert at Le Monde, Edinburgh started strong with Tony’s powerful vocals on the likes of ‘I’ve got you under my skin’ and ‘Nice and Easy’ starting to carry the audience. ‘Come Prima’ and ‘O Sole Mio’ gave us the first real feel of the Italian influence. But it was after the interval that the Collective – and the audience – found their stride. The timeless – and age-less – appeal of the Rat Park tunes soon had the crowd moving from humming along and a foot-tapping, to full on sing-a-long mode as the band ripped through classics such as ‘Come fly with me’, ‘King of the Road’, ‘That’s Amore’ and ‘Volare’. By the time of the closing numbers of the near two-hour long show, ‘La Dolce Vita’ and (of course) ’New York New York’, the crowd was sold. It really does show that it does mean a thing, when it does have that swing.