Scores of South Pasadeans turned out this past Sunday at Garfield Park to dance the night away to the big sound of Phat Cat Swinger.
Phat Cat Swinger is considered L.A.’s “Little-Big Band” with a West Coast sound that brings style, class, charisma and an explosive energy to every show, according to music critics across the land. The band will be performing next at the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival from March 2nd – April 8th.
But for Sunday night, residents of South Pasadena enjoyed the rollicking sound reminiscent of the big bands of Benny Goodman, Don Ellis, even County Basie, among others.
The Concerts in the Park are sponsored by South Pasadena and are free to the public. But unlike some other free concerts in other cities, these musical acts are top-notch with a solid performing background through continuous touring.
As an example, one of the highlights of the 2017 Festival of Holidays at Disney California Adventure was the surprise arrangement of “Pure Imagination” by the band’s singer, Curtis Parry. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when he finished his rendition of the poignant song.
In 2002, founding members Marco Palos & Will Pattinson teamed up to find a sound that had gone missing from the airwaves. Booming tom-toms, jumpin’ rhythms and a powerful horn section blended with the sweet vocals of the band’s frontman were all the perfect ingredients for this creation. It became known as Phat Cat Swinger.
The band continues to tour the United States and perform a variety of Los Angeles hot-spots, including festivals at Disneyland.
Hollywood loves Phat Cat Swinger and features them in videos with Christina Aguilera (Candyman), The Jonas Brothers (Love Bug) and Irish rock band, Snow Patrol (In the End). They were even selected among California’s best Big Bands by JJ Abrams to perform for his company, Bad Robot Productions.
The band’s selection of songs range from original music to covers all inspired from Sinatra to Big Bad Voodoo Daddy while even doing songs by Elton John, among others.
Phat Cat Swinger’s three albums, “Phat Cat Singer,” “Swing In Evolution,” and “Saturday Night,” are available on iTunes™, Amazon™, and Google Play™.
The next Concert in the Park is Hard Day’s Night, a Beatles tribute band. All concerts are from 5 to 7 p.m.
