Mint Julep Quintet Double Header: G2B and Beyu Caffe

We’ve got Mint Julep Quintet gigs back to back, coming right up!

On March 22, 2013, we’ll be making our monthly appearance at the stellar G2B Gastro Pub! Admission is free, but we recommend making a reservation if you would like to eat or have a seat – please specify that you would like to be seated in the jazz lounge.

We’ve rescheduled for March 23 after getting snowed out last time – the Mint Julep Quintet is ready to take on Durham’s venerable jazz venue, Beyu Caffe! Join us for a night of swing, cocktails, and delicious food…and maybe a little dancing.

Queen City Lindy Exchange 2013

This Saturday, March 9, the Mint Julep Jazz Band hits the road to road to Charlotte, North Carolina for the Queen City Lindy Exchange. We are excited to appear as their Saturday night band for the second year in a row! As North Carolina’s only Lindy Exchange, we are looking forward to some stellar regional dancer attendance, including a large caravan of dancers coming from the Triangle.

Also, QCLX’s theme for this year is Dr. Who – Whovian Lindy Hoppers can participate in a costume contest on Friday night and in a Doctor/Companion Jack and Jill competition on Saturday night. 🙂

Chantilly Hall
2101 Shenandoah Ave.
Charlotte, NC

Band plays from 8:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.

Admission: Registration information for the weekend at http://www.qclx.org, $25 at the door on Saturday night

P.S. I’m also DJ’ing this weekend – woot!

Sesame Street Features Mint Julep Jazz Band Song!

Tune in to Sesame Street on April 18, 2013 to hear an original Mint Julep Jazz Band song in one of the non-muppet segments! We are excited to have an air date and to finally be able to make this announcement, which we’ve been keeping quiet about since September, when Lucian composed and we recorded the song.

How did this happen? It’s all about networking (or being in the right place at the right time?) – we performed at a local wedding in August and one of the guests thought we’d be perfect for a project he was doing for Sesame Street. After a few phone calls and emails we had about a week and a half to put everything together, from Lucian composing the tune, getting everyone in the same place to record it, culling enough equipment together to have a quality recording, to lots of little logistical hurdles that occur when you are contracting out your services. Needless to say, everyone in the band was really excited to be involved in something that was going to appear on Sesame Street, and, with that motivation, we pulled it off in a very short amount of time.

If you can’t tune in to the show, there may be a way to watch it online after the air date – stay tuned!

Mint Julep Jazz Band at the Triangle Swing Dance Society Dance, March 2, 2013

On Saturday, March 2, 2013, the Mint Julep Jazz Band will be back at the Murphey School for a swing dance, hosted by the Triangle Swing Dance Society. TSDS is also hosting a day of swing dance workshops that Saturday called Localpalooza, which features many of the local swing dance instructors teaching a range of classes for all levels. If you are interested in learning how to dance, this would be a great beginner crash course! If you already know how to dance, there’s a little something for everyone – information on the workshops can be found on the Triangle Swing Dance Society website.

MJJB at the TSDS dance on December 1, 2012

As for the dance, we’ll see you at the Murphey School!

Murphey School
3717 Murphy School Road
Durham, NC 27705

Free beginner lesson at 7:00 p.m.

Band plays from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

Admission: Members/students $8.00, non-members $12.00

Rocky Mountain Balboa Blowout 2013

This weekend I’ll head to Denver, Colorado to DJ some sweet Balboa tunes at the Rocky Mountain Balboa Blowout! I’ve missed this event for the past two years and it’s so wonderful to be able to go again – looking forward to Denver’s wonderful venues, food, dancing, and general shenanigans with my fellow DJs. 🙂

Performing with the Craig Gildner Big Band, February 16, 2013

The Craig Gildner Big Band is making its debut on February 16, 2012 at Glen Echo Park and Craig has invited my husband, trombone player Lucian Cobb, and I to perform with the band! Craig has selected some great swing tunes for this dance, which is sponsored by DCLX, the Washington, D.C. Lindy Exchange. Come one, come all to the Spanish Ballroom on February 16!

From the Facebook invite:

“DCLX is proud to present the premier performance of The Craig Gildner Big Band in the Spanish Ballroom at Glen Echo Park on Saturday, February 16th!

This 12 piece orchestra combines the finest talent from the DC area with vintage arrangements designed for dancing. A big band is only as good as its rhythm section, and The Craig Gildner Big Band is a serious contender. The dynamics and blend of the sections creates an exciting experience: it can whisper and roar all in the same song. Also featuring Lucian Cobb on trombone and the lovely Laura Windley on vocals from the Mint Julep Jazz Band. Don’t miss the premier event for CGBB!!

The dance is $16 and begins at 9pm.

There will be a beginner swing lesson included in the cost of the dance from 8:00-9:00 PM. (Dance from 8:00 PM to 12:00 AM.)

Hope to see you all there!

Glen Echo Spanish Ballroom
7300 MacArthur Blvd.
Glen Echo, Maryland”

Three Fridays with the Mint Julep Quintet!

The main dining room at G2B

This month the Mint Julep Quintet is performing in Durham three Fridays in a row! If you haven’t made it out to see our small group yet, you’ll have plenty of chances:

January 18 at G2B Gastro Pub

We’re returning for our monthly engagement at this fine establishment that straddles the line between modern gourmet and comfort food and drink. Make a reservation to dine in the jazz lounge to ensure that you get a seat! You can make reservations through their website (they use OpenTable) or by calling the restaurant at (919) 251-9451.

8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
G2B Gastro Pub
3211 Shannon Road #106
Durham, NC

January 25 at Beyu Caffe – CANCELLED for inclement weather, rescheduled for March 23

Beyu’s lovely interior, inside the Art Deco era Snow Building

We are making our debut at Beyu Caffe, the restaurant voted the best place to hear jazz in the Triangle in the Independent Weekly reader’s poll. Come join us at this wonderful downtown establishment for dinner, dancing, drinks, dessert, or all of the above! You may also want to make a reservation here, depending on your seating preference – call the restaurant at (919) 683-1058.

9:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.
Beyu Caffe
335 W. Main St.
Durham, NC

February 1 at G2B Gastro Pub

Laura in the jazz lounge at G2B

We’re making our February appearance at G2B Gastro Pub earlier in the month – your last chance to catch the Quintet until we return on March 22!

8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
G2B Gastro Pub
3211 Shannon Road #106
Durham, NC

We hope you will join us for one of these performances! Come find out why Durham is both a foodie town and a jazz town, thanks to creative chefs and restaurant owners who take pride in their food, their city, and their entertainment. 🙂

RDU Rent Party: Back to the Future Edition featuring the Mint Julep Jazz Band, January 10, 2013

I am really looking forward to the Mint Julep Jazz Band‘s special performance for RDU Rent Party on January 10, 2013 – we’re not exactly going back to the future, but we will give you a full preview of all the songs we are recording for our album in the second set! Polish up your dance shoes and come swing out to the tunes that will make up “Durham on Saturday Night.”

Triangle Dance Studio, back studio
2603 S. Miami Blvd.
Durham, NC
Band plays 9:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.
Admission: Pay what you can with a $10.00 suggested donation

Lindy Focus 2012

I am excited to announce that I will be working at this year’s Lindy Focus Dance Camp in three capacities! First, I will be a part of the event’s DJ roster, spinning tunes in the Balboa room, now known as the Avalon Balboa Dance Party. It has been a dream of mine for years to be invited to DJ at Lindy Focus and I am excited to be invited to spin my favorite tunes (i.e. uptempo swing) for the event.

Second, I will be making an appearance as Lindy Shopper on a panel discussion during Lindy Focus’ Field Day – the discussion is titled “Scene Building in the Age of New Media” and I will be accompanied by four other esteemed panelists, including Dance World Takeover‘s Rebecca Brightly, Wandering and Pondering‘s Jerry Almonte, Mobtown Ballroom‘s Michael Seguin, and international dance instructor and swing jazz guitarist Mike Faltesek.

Finally, I’ll be singing a few tunes with the Solomon Douglas Swingtet on December 30!

Did I mention I was excited?! I mean, who isn’t excited about the opportunity to attend Lindy Focus? The cherry on my awesome LF sundae is that my husband, trombonist Lucian Cobb, will be working the event, as well, performing with Ben Polcer, Glenn Crytzer, and Solomon Douglas – huzzah!

Mint Julep Jazz Band Kickstarter Fully Funded!

As of November 28, the Mint Julep Jazz Band reached (and even surpassed) the $6,000 funding goal on our Kickstarter campaign to raise money to produce our first CD! We are overwhelmed and so grateful for the generosity of all of our backers, particularly, the Triangle Swing Dance Society, who was not only our largest monetary backer, but also pledged the amount that sent us over our $6,000 goal. Thanks to your help and the magic of crowd funding, the Mint Julep Jazz Band is going to record a CD in January!

The other brilliant part of this is that we reached our funding goal in 28 days, which is just under half the amount of time we allotted to meet our goal. This means that the Kickstarter does not officially end until December 30, so if you’d still like to pre-order a CD or support the Kickstarter for other rewards, you have until December 30 to do so. If you’d like to view our Kickstarter, visit http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/laurawindley/mint-julep-jazz-bands-first-cd-durham-on-saturday.

Thanks again! We really couldn’t have done it without you!