"I love the big band sound of it and the different arrangements. The different takes on the pop classics and jazz classics, which gives it that orchestral feel."
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Lisette De Gray is gearing up for this Sunday's Broadway to Hollywood concert with the Manning Valley Concert Band.
She will sing two songs, the Gershwin classic, Summertime, with a David Wolpe arrangement, and the Rodgers and Hart tune Blue Moon, with a Warren Barker arrangement.
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"I love the feel of them and I love the way they grab people and bring them along. I've done Summertime before with a jazz band, but not an orchestra. It's nice with the orchestra."
To prepare she has been using the travelling time between her home in Old Bar and Port Macquarie, where she was doing contract work.
"I put my music on and sing on the way up and on the way back and we have a rehearsal with the band on Monday evenings."
Lisette has been singing with the band for about 18 months. "The people are great. Roger (Griffiths), Tanya and Trevor (Brown) and all the musicians. Roger is amazing."
Roger (the musical director) organises the concert program and selects the songs for the singers.
"Sometimes they're different and really outside the comfort zone. It's really good, another aspect I like is that I'm given a piece that I wouldn't normally choose for myself."
I put my music on and sing on the way up and on the way back and we have a rehearsal with the band on Monday evenings.
- Lisette Dr Gray
Lisette grew up surrounded by jazz music. Her mother, Judy Bailey, was a jazz pianist in Australia and her dad a bass player.
"Don Burrows was played in the house. James Morrison was one of mum's students. Mum is the patron of the Big Band Blast festival in Port Macquarie. I was very lucky to grow up like that.
"Jazz was a major influence but as I developed as a singer I went a different route and went to rock and pop. I think I have a mixture of styles."
Lisette has sung her whole life and in bands for many years, but it took a backseat when she became a mum.
It wasn't until moving to the Manning in 2014 and a chance meeting with Tanya and Trevor Brown where she saw their son Mitchell playing a song by one of her mum's students that she started to make her own way back into performing. "Tanya led me."
She also discovered the Taree and District Eisteddfod after her daughter, Mia Paske, went into the dance section and Lisette learned there was a vocal section and entered without telling anyone, except her husband on the day (who came along). She went back the following year.
One year Tanya was there and saw her perform, and later Lisette was invited to come and sing with the Manning Valley Concert Band.
The Broadway to Hollywood concert is on this Sunday at 2pm at the St John's Anglican Church in Taree. Tickets from Bass'n'Blues Music Store in Albert Street, Taree.
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