AT 85, AUSTRALIA'S QUEEN OF YODELLING

SWINGS INTO MUSIC OF BIG BAND ERA

AS TIME goes by anniversaries take on more significance.

Having started out in show business with her sister Rita back in 1945, as ‘The Schneider Sisters’, Mary Schneider has had her fair share of anniversaries and achievements.

To coin a grand old phrase, ‘the best is yet to come’.

Mary Schneider marks her 85th birthday with the release of a new album.

Having surpassed the ‘Platinum Anniversary’ (72 years) as an entertainer and recording artist, ‘Australia’s Queen of Yodelling’, Mary Schneider has a brand-new album project, just released.

Yodelling the Big Bands – a yodelling celebration of the big band swing era with a dazzling selection of standards arranged and performed by the incomparable Mary Schneider.

Over the years, Mary has married the art of yodelling with many different musical styles.

‘My beautiful sister Rita and I had started working on this concept after our success with my two ‘Yodelling the Classics’ albums," said Mary.

"In my early 20s I took a slight detour from country music and went into jazz and scat singing, which is my first love.

"It was only a matter of time before I combined scat singing and yodelling, so we came up with the idea of ‘Yodelling the Big Bands.’"

It was during her 1998 guest appearance on US Shock Jock’s, The Howard Stern Show, that Howard described Mary as ‘The Ella Fitzgerald of Yodelling’.

It’s no surprise then that years later she would create a brand new musical genre, ‘scat-yodelling’ and make Stern’s words a reality.

The first single, the new big band yodelling arrangement of the classic late 19th Century French tune ‘La Cinquantaine’ (aka ‘Golden Wedding’) gets the yodelling treatment with dazzling results.

Other classics on the new album included in the selection of Big band favourites are: In the Mood, Jersey Bounce, Cuttin’ Capers, Cow Cow Boogie, Fascinating Rhythm, Pennsylvania 6-5000, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (aka Boogie Woogie Yodeller) and Mary’s Christmas favourite ‘Yodelling Jingle Bells’.

Mary has been a constant on TV throughout her varied career.

The Graham Kennedy Show, In Melbourne Tonight, The Don Lane Show, The Mike Walsh Show, The Today Show, Good Morning Australia, Beauty & The Beast, Good News Week, Roy & HG, Rove Live, Spicks & Specks, Enough Rope with Andrew Denton and internationally Regis & Kathy Lee, Good Morning America, CNN, The Howard Stern Show, Major German & Swiss Variety Shows, Eurotrash (with Jean Paul Gaultier), The Clive James Show and… the list goes on.

Mary’s music has appeared in countless TV and film productions including Sex in The City, Disney and Universal movies, Dirty Deeds, Dudley Do Right, M. Night Shyamalan’s feature film ‘The Visit’, Malcolm in The Middle + TV Commercials for McDonald’s, Miller Beer, Telco’s, and most recently the new TV spot for NAB Auskick.

In most cases the music licensed into this variety of TV and Film productions has been Mary’s outstandingly successful Yodelling the Classics.

Created and arranged with her sister Rita and orchestrated by maestro Tommy Tycho AM MBE - Yodelling the Classics (Vol. 1 & 2) became a worldwide success.

The popularity of Mary’s yodelling earned her the title ‘Australia’s Queen Of Yodelling’.

Now in 2017, after many years of planning, arranging and recording – Mary Schneider’s new Yodelling the Big Bands album is out and swinging into action.

Yodelling the Big Bands was released via Universal Music worldwide last Friday October 27, 2017.

Single ‘La Cinquantaine’ (aka ‘Golden Wedding’) was released on October 6.

Oh, and speaking of anniversaries, the release of this new album coincided with Mary’s 85th Birthday on October 25.Time to celebrate!

Another leader in his field, multi-instrumentalist and top jazz musician James Morrison was quick to applaud Mary on her new album release.

"I’ve always been fascinated by yodelling but I never thought I’d hear it with a big band! Mary has the range of a lead trumpet and dexterity we can only dream about - quite frankly, it’s a hoot to hear her fresh take on this music I know so well.’

Julian Clary said: "Mary Schneider’s voice fills me with joy. A truly remarkable new album ... Epic! Sumptuous! Who needs Prozac when we have Mary Schneider?"

Sydney audiences at the Concourse Theatre in Chatswood last Friday and at The Evan Theatre Penrith on Saturday were treated to a very special performance when Mary joined her talented daughter and country music sensation Melinda Schneider on stage during her much revered `Great Women of Country' show.

Please follow and like us: