Historic -- Educational -- Entertaining -- and Fun!Exciting New LIVE Musical Shows:Songs of the Sunshine State and
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There are Florida songs you've probably never heard of, like Irving Berlin's Florida By The Sea, from the Marx Brothers comedy, The Cocoanuts. (That's the sheet music pictured above.) The Cocoanuts, a 1929 movie based on The Marx Brothers' Bradway show of the same name, took place at the height of the Florida land boom, in a mythical Florida land development, Coconut Beach. |
Gary Lawrence and company present Songs of the
Sunshine State, a special tribute to nature's paradise on earth,
featuring new and original songs, as well as standards about Florida,
performed in the Dixieland and Swing style of The Sizzling
Syncopators, along with an topical historical narration, relating the
songs to Florida history and Florida today.
(Don't tell the kids, but it's actually educational!) Songs of the Sunshine State is an unforgettable musical treat for visitors and residents of Florida: the world's #1 Vacation Destination! |
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About The ShowsThe Songs Of The Sunshine State show comes in two flavors, the original Songs Of The Sunshine State and the new high-tech Songs Of The Sunshine State Multimedia Edition. Songs Of The Sunshine State is the live musical show starring bandleader/pianist Gary Lawrence and accompanying vocalist, plus one to five additional band members -- whatever suits your budget. Songs Of The Sunshine State features songs about Florida's history, especially the ones that enticed tourists and snowbirds to become Floridians. Each song is introduced with its story. Your audience can sing along, maybe even dance in the aisles. With Songs Of The Sunshine State Multimedia Edition, you get all the fun and music from the Songs Of The Sunshine State live musical show PLUS a live multimedia show accompanying the music, with narration (between songs) about Florida's vast and varied history and how the songs relate to it. The multimedia part of the show includes historic photos, headlines, audio, video, and a PowerPoint presentation to illustrate Florida's history. Fun AND educational! Both 100% customizable shows can be produced with music and information highlighting your city and/or region and with information about the sponsoring organization. So no two clients will have the exact same show, unless that's what they want. The original Songs Of The Sunshine State show is 60 minutes. Songs Of The Sunshine State Multimedia Edition is approximately 75 minutes, depending on customization For more info, or to book the show for your organization, call Mrs. K at (954) 346-8863. That's FIN-TUNE! |
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| Enjoy these demos from Songs of the Sunshine State! | |
| Florida | |
| Florida Shines |
Florida Shines has recently been in consideration to become
the official state welcome song. Its lively shuffle rhythm and bright
outlook certainly reflect the up-beat vitality of modern Florida!
This demo of Florida Shines features tenor Frank Scafuri. |
| Moon Over Miami |
Hollywood helped to turn south Florida into a tourist
destination The 1941 film Moon Over Miami, starring Don Ameche
and Betty Grable, featured the lovely ballad bearing the film's name.
Listen to this demo of Moon Over Miami by Gary Lawrence and his Sizzling Syncopators. |
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Old Folks at Home (a/k/a Way Down Upon the Swanee River) | Since 1935, Florida's state song
has been Stephen Foster's Old Folks at Home (also known as
Way Down Upon the Swanee River) which was composed a century
and a half ago, back in 1851. (Did you know that the real name of that
river is Suwanee, but it had too many syllables for the song?)
Enjoy this demo, big band style, by the Sizzling Syncopators. |
| Tallahassee |
In the 1947 Bing Crosby/Bob Hope film Variety
Girl (illustrated at right), Bing paid tribute to Tallahassee,
capital of the Sunshine State, with the song Tallahassee.
This demo of Tallahassee features the Dixieland sounds of the Sizzling Syncopators. |
| Florida Among the Palms | Probably the earliest song to promote Florida tourism was Irving Berlin's 1912 composition, Florida Among the Palms. |
| Miami Beach Rumba |
Composed in 1946 at the height of the Rumba craze, Miami Beach
Rumba proudly celebrates the huge contribution the Cuban people
have made to south Florida's culture and lifestyle.
Enjoy this demo of Miami Beach Rumba. |
| Orange Blossom Special |
The most well-known recording of The Orange Blossom
Special may be Johnny Cash's country version. But this demo of The Orange Blossom Special is an example of the Dixieland sounds of the Sizzling Syncopators. |
| Orange Blossom Song | Sung in the Dade County Schools in the 1950s, The Orange Blossom Song was almost forgotten. But the Sizzling Syncopators have revived it. |
| Havin' a Great Time, Wish You Were Here |
Havin' a Great Time, Wish You Were Here, a
brand new song by Gary Lawrence, truly echoes the sentiments of all the
millions of tourists who visit Florida, the Sunshine State, each year.
This demo of Havin' a Great Time, Wish You Were Here features tenor Frank Scafuri. |
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Interested? Request a demo of the Songs of the Sunshine State program. (Please include information about your company or organization, audience, etc.) |
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The Sizzling Syncopators StoryBack in the late 1970s and 1980s, Gary Lawrence and his
Sizzling Syncopators were among the most sought-after musical
attractions in south Florida. They did dozens of concerts for various
municipalities (including Miami, Hollywood, Pompano Beach, West Palm
Beach, Sunrise and Plantation), museums, colleges, libraries, and
special events, including the PACE concerts.
The Sizzling Syncopators were featured at The Sunrise Musical Theatre and The Theatre of Performing Arts (now Jackie Gleason Theatre). Gary Lawrence and his Sizzling Syncopators were also the subject of many feature articles in the Miami Herald, the Hollywood Sun-Tattler, the Sun-Sentinel, and Miami Magazine. In 1982, they even had their own feature program on Miami's PBS affiliate, WPBT (channel 2). They were also profiled on the nationally-syndicated PM Magazine. Their recordings received critical acclaim from prestigious publications such as Billboard, The New York Times, and Audio magazine, to name a few. However, shortly after the Channel 2 program, at the height of the group's popularity, Gary Lawrence retired from public performance to pursue other interests. Great news! The Syncopators are back! Last year, Gary Lawrence unveiled the new group at Miami Beach's historic Art Deco Weekend. The new Syncopators not only perform the great 1920s music featured on the group's three albums, but they also feature a musical look at Florida's tourism from the boom era to the present, Songs of the Sunshine State. They are currently available for cultural series, community oncerts, corporate events, festivals and private parties. One listen is worth a thousand words, so we invite you to audition The Sizzling Syncopators today. To celebrate the return of the Sizzling Syncopators, for a limited
time -- save $100 on specially-selected performances.
For more info, or to book the show for your organization, call Mrs. K at (954)
346-8863. |