JM - Yes, it has been quite a ride over the last four years and it continues to be a rewarding experience both musically and to a greater extent, the way swing culture has been accepted by a new generation. The raw energy of a band this size will never fail to excite people, whatever their age or musical taste. It just knocks their socks off.

SD – You call your performance a “big band show”. How do you describe that to someone who is not familiar with your music?

JM - I have always believed that a live band has to be bigger than just the music. People want to be entertained. They want to have fun. Our show has all the trappings and feel of a Hollywood movie set but perhaps you could liken it more to a Marx Brothers movie than "Driving Miss Daisy" (laughter).

It’s big – It’s fun – It roars with lots of colour and movement. It’s MT! Musical Theatre!

SD – Alongside the fun and Hollywood feel, some of the biggest names in the music business have lined up to perform with Swing City. What has been the main attraction for them?

JM – That’s a difficult question because there would be quite different reasons for different artists. For the most part it has been for the band’s pure musical excellence for which we are very proud. When a guest artist is going to perform with us we work hard to do more than just bring their music to life – we want to make it cook! For other artists, it has also been a vehicle for expanding their own music. Look at the way Robbie Williams and Rod Stewart have reinvented themselves and found a great acceptance in the big band sound – and it all swings - wonderful!

JM – Today, swing has become more than just a style of music – it’s a way of life. Swing represents a wholesome and clean living lifestyle which is being embraced by a new generation. They have had enough of the drug inspired techno beat of the last twenty years and are finding real enjoyment in dressing up, learning the moves and living the morals of a more romantic era. I suppose they are really rebels in a way because they shun the music that is being force feed to them by the radio stations and big record companies. What is quite exciting is that major clothing and cosmetic designers are now talking about the “swing thing” as being the next big U-turn in popular culture. After all, for how long could wearing jeans with the knee ripped out be considered hip? (Laughs). We have nineteen year old kids that come to our gigs in pin stripe zoot suits and fedora hats and they always seem to go home with a charming young lady on their arm and a big smile. It’s a very cool thing.

SD – When I sat down to do this interview with you I wasn’t expecting to discuss life, the universe and everything but it sounds like swing music could change more about life than what we listen too.

JM – Yep – it’s happened before and it’s going to happen again. It’s time!

JM – No, I suppose playing in front of a television audience of nearly four billion people is as big as it gets and let's not forget the hundred thousand people that were in the stadium at the time who were pretty fired up too. It was definitely a magic moment.

SD – Any others come to mind?

JM – In 2002 we did a charity performance for the Victor Chang Foundation and Daryl Somers came up from Melbourne to sing with us. It was fantastic and Daryl was absolutely cooking that night. We helped raise 1.3 million dollars for heart research and we were all touched by people’s generosity. It was a great feeling. Daryl has always been an amazing entertainer and does lots of work for charity these days. We have just finished putting some new material together with him and together we are definitely going to be doing some big stuff in the future.

Looking back we have been very blessed having played for Prime Ministers, Presidents, Premiers and even a Prince. Indeed, you could say we are also the entertainers for “All the King’s horses and all the King’s men” too. (Laughs)

SD – And what of the future. What lies ahead for Australia’s most celebrated new big band?

JM – That’s an exciting question. Where do I start? We have been asked to play a part in a new Australian movie. Then there is a Broadway style show all about swing being written specifically for the band. We are also getting ready to record with Monica Trapaga.

I suppose the main point to make is, we are a band who loves to work hard at what we do. The lure of perfection is the big carrot when you make music with a band of this size and I just love to make the hair on the back of peoples’ neck stand up when they hear the power of all that brass. It’s an awesome big fat sound. It’s like having a V8 engine in your car and really getting to use it. Whether it’s a corporate function, a fund raiser or an Olympics, our message is simple – swing hard and make it fun – Serious Fun!