It's Saturday night in Adelaide, and in a ballroom east of the city a small group of musicians known as the Tunisian Nights Little Big Band are preparing. When the doors open the room will fill with people of all ages and backgrounds who are united by one thing: swing music. 

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"The wonderful thing about this music" says TN's Musical Director and vocalist Dennis Russell "is that it feels as fresh and connects with people in much the same way as it did when it was new - sometimes 70 or 80 years ago. It is timeless, and speaks to some parts of the human experience that haven't changed in that time and probably never will". 

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As the night progresses and the Tunisian Nights crew fly into action, it becomes apparent that there is a good reason for those comments. Whole families appear sing, clap, snap their fingers, dance, and laugh together. Grandparents and young children join together on the dance floor. It is clear that time may have aged the artists who made these songs famous, but not the music.

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The set list includes music from Frank Sinatra, to Michael Buble, and Louis Armstrong, with a few recent pop hits performed in TN's inimitable style. "This is what we love" says Russell when it is all over "the band exists because we believe in this music and its power to bring people together".

 

Watching the families file out it is clear that it has done just that.