The ninth New Orleans Swing Festival trains the spotlight on this occasion on the most modern of its targeted styles as swing itself takes centre stage on all three days of the event, as interpreted by the cream of the Hungarian and American jazz scenes. The first evening sees a familiar favourite welcome a long-awaited guest, known by some of his contemporaries simply as a “monster” due to the awe-inspiring and inimitable technique on his chosen instrument, the trombone. John Allred had someone to learn from in the shape of his own father, Bill Allred, likewise a famous trombone player. Initially, he moved mostly in traditional jazz circles, before his stylistic horizons began to broaden in all directions. Early in his career, he was invited to join Woody Herman’s band Young Thundering Herd as lead trombonist and featured soloist, where he had the chance to perform with the likes of Clark Terry, Buddy DeFranco, Terry Gibbs, Stan Getz and Rosemary Clooney. He also became increasingly sought-after as a studio musician, entering the world of the movies as a consequence. During the shooting of the film My Girl, he taught star Dan Aykroyd how to imitate playing the tuba, while he himself recorded the tuba parts for the soundtrack. Allred is a master of several brass instruments, among them the euphonium. His unsurpassed technical abilities and knowledge of styles has earned him invitations to take part in shows alongside performers as renowned as Ray Charles, Natalie Cole, Paul Anka and vocal group The Temptations. The familiar favourite – and Allred’s back-up band for the occasion – is the Hungarian Swing Company (humorously known in the local lingo as Magyar Hinta Vállalat), which previously gave an enormously successful joint concert with guest pianist Ted Rosenthal at the 2009 New Orleans Swing Festival. Presented by: Palace of Arts

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