A brace of sparkling pop hits in late 1986, early 1987 marked a fine opening for UK Jazz Pop trio Swing Out Sister. ‘Breakout’ reached number 4 in the UK Charts and ‘Surrender’ reached number 7. Their first album, ‘It’s Better To Travel’, topped the UK album charts. ‘Breakout’ also provided the band with a US Top 10 single in Autumn 1987.
The band started life as a 3 Piece, formed by Corinne Drewery (vocals), Andrew Connell (keyboards) and Martin Jackson (drums). Andrew Connell had played for many years in the respected Manchester funk/new-wave band ‘A Certain Ratio’ while Martin Jackson had drummed with various Manchester bands including Magazine and The Chameleons. A management link-up saw the pair join forces with fashion designer Corinne Drewery whose father had been a member of the Nottingham-based Junco Partners. Martin Jackson left the band soon after It’s Better To Travel and did not play on the follow-up, Kaleidoscope World, although he helped program drum machines on several tracks. Andrew Connell, a grade eight pianist and fan of Burt Bacharach and Herb Alpert, injected an orchestrated, spacious element into songs like ‘Forever Blue’ and ‘Masquerade’, assisted by producer Paul O’Duffy. The album was warmly received by critics and reached number 3 on the UK album chart.
The duo eschewed a heavy workload and seemed to be happy releasing records intermittently on their own idiosyncratic terms, enjoying particular acclaim in Japan. In 1994, they put together a full band, featuring Derick Johnson (bass), Myke Wilson (drums), Tim Cansfield (guitar), John Thrikell (trumpet) and Gary Plumey (saxophone) for the release of The Living Return. After that album’s acid jazz departures, Shapes And Patterns marked a return to the cheery pop sound of their early releases. The duo’s subsequent releases were largely in the Japanese market, although 2004’s Where Our Love Grows helped revive interest in the band in Europe.
To book Swing Out Sister for your event or festival, contact Big Foot Events on 01253 351100.
