From screen to stage: Tom Burlinson's first Tamworth show in eight years will have you swingin'

The actor whose Hollywood career also saw him grace the silver screen in Phar Lap, developed a love of Frank Sinatra when he was just a boy, leading to the big move from screen to stage.

Now, he's ready to jazz up your life with his first show in Tamworth in eight years - his latest musical production, Now We're Swingin'.

Burlinson describes it as a salute to the masters of the swing genre.

"It's a celebration of some of the great stars of local swing music, people like Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis Jr, Nat King Cole, Dean Martin, Bobby Darin and Frank Sinatra," he said.

Burlinson also celebrates the music of more modern artists like Harry Connick Jr, Robbie Williams and Michael Bublé, who have added their own spin to some of the greatest swing songs.

"In the show there are songs that were made famous by, and originally recorded by, all of those people and in between the songs I give a little bit of information about each of those great stars to introduce them," he said.

Some of Australia's best jazz musicians will join Burlinson on stage at West Tamworth League Club on March 12.

"I'm bringing with me a seven-piece band including trumpet and trombone and two saxophones," he said.

"Our arrangements are based on the originals, so those people who know the original songs will be already familiar with our versions as we perform them."

Introduced to the music of Frank Sinatra by his parents as a young boy, Burlinson said he came to love it immensely.

"Of course I was a child of The Beatles generation so as I grew up I also liked more modern music," he said.

"But then as a young adult I rediscovered that music that I loved when I was very young from my parents' record collection."

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He believes it's the feel of swing music, and its variety that makes it appealing to so many people.

"Partly it's the quality of the song - they were written by some of the greatest songwriters of 20th century popular music," he said.

"I love the swing feel of the music, but there are other songs in the show that are beautiful ballads, like the Shadow of His Smile and Unforgettable, so it's not all the one style of swing."

The tour follows the success of theatrical production Frank - A Life in Song, where Burlinson sang more than 25 songs from throughout Sinatra's career, accompanied by a 16- piece band.

He describes Frank Sinatra as "the greatest of them all".

Expect to hear Sinatra's all-time classics such as I've Got You Under My Skin, Summer Wind, That's Life and Mack the Knife.

You can see Tom Burlinson live at Blazes Showroom at West Tamworth Leagues Club on March 12 at 8pm.

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