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The Shout was formed in 1998 by the composers Orlando Gough and Richard Chew. The singers come from very varied backgrounds - gospel, jazz, blues, contemporary classical, opera, early music - and include several accomplished improvisers. It has been called a 'vocal big band', a 'club choir', a 'vocal Stomp', a 'dangerous choir', a 'choir of Babel' and a 'choral phenomenon'. It is all of these things, as you will find when you listen to these four songs.
"The Shout continues to develop an ensemble sound and attitude like no other. It encompasses at least a dozen different singing styles and traditions, with the freewheeling flexibility of a jazz trio and the power and range of a classical choir twice its size. It is entertaining, funny and deadly serious. It is full of enormous egos and talents, yet they work effortlessly to create intricate and contemporary textures with no apparent effort or tension: all the energy is directed towards the audience." (The Guardian)
About the tracks
Underworld - lyrics and music Richard Chew - a song about the Mole People
who live in caves in the subways of New York - originally part of our
music-theatre piece Tall Stories
Chanuka - lyrics traditional, music Jeremy Avis - based (as the title
suggests) on a traditional chanuka song - originally part of our Christmas
Show A Day In The Life, where it was introduced by a reading from the diary
of Sophia Litwinska who narrowly escaped the gas chambers at Auschwitz
(which explains the very sombre beginning to this celebratory song)
How Does A Black Girl Jump? - lyrics Colette Waller and Rosetta Life, music
Orlando Gough - Colette, who has MS, remembers a time when she was a star
basketball player - the singers are Adey Grummet, Rebecca Askew, Melanie
Pappenheim and Louise Schumacher.
Stand - lyrics various, music Mike Henry - this song was commissioned for
the Mayor of London's Festival in Trafalgar Square - the lyrics are from
speeches made in the square and were assembled by Tamsin Collison.
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