Star Tony full of praise for young jazz orchestra

Sep 29 2011

TONY Christie doesn’t like rap or grunge but there’s one group of young musicians who he’ll praise to the heavens.

They’re the Midlands Youth Jazz Orchestra (MYJO) and they’ll be joining the musician for a one-off show at the Jam House.

“I’d actually heard them on the radio recently and I was knocked over to be honest,” Tony tells us.

“The quality is so good, I couldn’t believe that they were a youth orchestra.

“And then I was called up and unbelievably they asked me to perform with them. I jumped at the chance.”

The concert will be raising money for MYJO and Cauldwell Children, a charity for sick and disabled youngsters.

“It’s a chance for me to sing some Sinatra but I’ll be doing a couple of my own songs as well,” says Tony.

“I haven’t been to the Jam House before, but I know Birmingham well - I played all the clubs in the 60s.”

In the past, MYJO have performed with the likes of Jamie Cullum, Georgie Fame and Madeline Bell.

As it turns out Tony, best-known for Is This The Way to Amarillo, is no stranger to younger musicians.

“My grandson is in a heavy rock band [Cytota],” he reveals. “I came to see him play in Birmingham recently.

“It was at what’s now called the 02 Academy, somewhere I played myself in the past.

“Obviously the music is very different to mine, but my grandson has always wanted to be a musician.

“It’s great to see him play.”

Tony continues to release new material, but says that he still likes his songs to have a sixties flavour.

“It was such an exciting period, everything felt new and no-one wanted to be the same as someone else.

“You look at the acts that came through now, The Beatles, the Rolling Stones - all of them unique.”

The show is on Monday, October 4, starting at 8pm. Tickets cost £18 (box office 0121 200 3030).