Subject: James Last announces final tour

Composer and big band leader James Last has announced his final tour.

The 85-year-old German artist said the concerts "will mark the end of this chapter" in his life, and comes after he was seriously ill in September.

"The main thing is that my fans have the best concerts of their lives and we will make this our 'happiest' concert yet," he said.

The tour will include two dates at the Royal Albert Hall, with the final concert on 26 April in Cologne.

Last said he had given it much thought and it was a decision he "regrets very much" having to make.

His serious illness which took a "life-threatening" turn last September apparently forced him to face the fact that "a man full of plans, needs to not just slow down but give up his life on tour altogether".

But he said the tour will give him a welcome opportunity to bid farewell to his fans

Last, who is thought to have sold in excess of 100 million albums with his trademark "happy music", will play the Royal Albert Hall on 31 March and 1 April.

They will be his 89th and 90th concerts at the venue.

Last started his music career in the 1960s with instrumental music recordings with his orchestra James Last & His Orchestra, a big band with strings and choir added.

He composes work and rearranges works of others, with a repertoire ranging from swing to pop, polka, rock and roll, waltz, jazz, folk and classical music.

http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-31439198