big band

Events at Common 414

I am excited to announce that the Mint Julep Jazz Band will be working with Common 414, a new 1920’s themed cocktail bar that has opened in Raleigh, NC – three upcoming events of note!

1) Friday, November 14, 2014, the Mint Julep Quintet will play from 8-11p.m. and at 10:00 p.m. we’ll be hosting and playing live music for a Charleston contest! Come show off your gams and your hot jazz moves – the winner of the Charleston contest gets a Mint Julep Jazz Band prize pack (CD, shoe bag, button) and a VIP Booth Package for Common 414 (a $250 value).

2) and 3) On two Sundays in January (11th and 25th), 2015 we begin what we hope will be a regular gig for the Mint Julep Jazz Band, so you can hear all this great music from the 1920’s, 30’s and 40’s performed by our little big band twice a month! We say we hope because continuation of this event depends on you voting to keep MJJB here with your feet and your wonderful presence. Band plays from 7-10 p.m., $5 cover because there are a lot of people in the band!

Thanks so much to Common 414 for giving us this opportunity, it’s rare to see bands this large with regular gigs and we’ll do our best to keep this one – swing out, Raleigh!

New Orleans, October 4-5, 2014 – Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown with Jonathan Stout

After experiencing one of the best music festival experiences I’ve ever had earlier this year at New Orleans’ French Quarter Festival, I am returning to the cradle of jazz, this time to perform! I’ll be in New Orleans with two of Jonathan Stout’s bands, the Campus Five and the Jonathan Stout Orchestra for the Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown, October 4 and 5, 2014. On October 4, from 8:00 p.m. to midnight, the Jonathan Stout Orchestra will perform at the Civic Theater, New Orleans’ oldest theater, built in 1906. On October 5, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five will be at NOLA’s famous French Market (at Dutch Alley). On top of these performances, ULHS will feature performances by some of New Orleans’ finest swing and traditional jazz bands and musicians – Ben Polcer’s Swinging Seven, Meschiya Lake and the Little Big Horns, Luke Winslow King Quintet, Aurora Nealand and the Royal Roses, Palmetto Bug Stompers, New Orleans Cottonmouth Kings, and the Shotgun Jazz Band. See you in NOLA!

Six Weekends on the Road – SC, NY, VA, NH, MD, and TN!

I’ve probably lost my mind, but I am beyond excited about the events coming in August and early September! The first two are for fun and the last four are gigs, which also happen to be fun – I love that singing has afforded me such great travel opportunities this year, performing with several different bands! Here’s where I’ll be, barring forces majeure:

August 8-10, 2014 – competing and social dancing at the Southeast Summer Brawl in Columbia, SC

August 16-17, 2014 – immersing myself in a 1920’s alternate universe and dancing like a mad flapper at the Jazz Age Lawn Party in New York City

August 21-24, 2014 – I’ll be pulling double duty at the International Lindy Hop Championships in Arlington, VA, DJ’ing and singing with the Jonathan Stout Orchestra and Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five!

August 28-29, 2014 – I’ll be joining Michael Gamble’s Rhythm Serenaders on vocals at Swing Out New Hampshire!

September 6, 2014 – the Mint Julep Jazz Band returns to the Spanish Ballroom at Glen Echo Park, Glen Echo, MD, courtesy of the Jam Cellar!

September 12-13, 2014 – I’m back with Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five for the Knoxville Lindy Exchange!

So many exclamation points!!! Six states in six weekends – see you on the road!

Our State Magazine – Music in the Library

The Mint Julep Jazz Band was excited to be invited to provide music for Our State Magazine‘s Music in the Library video series, which shares and highlights songs from North Carolina musical artists filmed at Our State Magazine’s headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina. We filled up their cozy library space with eight musicians, swing, and hot jazz on a hot June afternoon and the results came out great, using just three microphones and three cameras.

The band recorded “Swingtime in Honolulu,” “Rock it for Me,” and “Miami Boulevard” – visit the Our State YouTube channel for all the videos from this series!

The Process – July 18, 2014

The Mint Julep Jazz Band will kick off the weekend festivities at The Process, a Lindy Hop workshop weekend in Richmond, Virginia on Friday, July 18, 2014 at 9:00 p.m. The Process is a new event, in its first year, and seeks to answer the question, “What is the process guiding Lindy Hoppers to rapid improvement?” in its workshops throughout the weekend. With a great lineup of instructors (Casey Schneider & Mike Faltesek; Jaya Dorf & Michael Gamble; Chelsea & David Lee; Mike Herring; Abigail Browning & Adam Speen; and Sparrow Pants) and live music by The Low Down Sires, 504 Supreme, and Gypsy Roots, it looks like it will be a rumpus in Richmond! For more information visit The Process website.

Mint Julep Jazz Band Plays Shakori Hills – April 20, 2014

The Mint Julep Jazz Band will be joining the stellar lineup of musicians for the spring 2014 Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival of Music & Dance, along with the Indigo Girls, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, the Del McCoury Band, and dozens of other great local, regional, and national acts. We’ll be performing Sunday, April 20 from 7:15 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. in the Dance Tent – they’ll have a wood floor in the tent so everyone can cut a rug and avoid the mud. 😉

For more information about the festival, the artists, the location, camping, tickets, schedule, and any questions you may have, visit Shakori Hills’ comprehensive website at http://shakorihillsgrassroots.org.

This is our first music festival, so we are really excited – see you there!

Mint Julep Jazz Band’s 2nd Anniversary and Live Stream February 1, 2014

The Mint Julep Jazz Band‘s first gig was on February 23, 2012 at an RDU Rent Party swing dance, which we decided to live stream primarily because one of our friends was in the hospital and requested it. It was a great idea and, not only was our friend able to tune in, 79 other people did, as well!

We are excited that the band has seen success over the past two years and to commemorate our second anniversary we will live stream our February 1, 2014 show at the Triangle Swing Dance Society swing dance in Durham, NC!

To tune in, visit our UStream channel on February 1 any time from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/mint-julep-jazz-band

The State of Things November 22 and Rent Party November 23

The Mint Julep Jazz Band is performing at Housing for New Hope‘s inaugural Rent Party on November 23, 2013 at The Cookery in Durham – this is a fundraiser for an organization that actually helps people pay their rent to help prevent homelessness, among other services to help people in need of housing and prevent homelessness in Durham. There will be dancing, food, an open bar, and the chance to help people in our community, all with a rent party/jazz age theme. Come help us raise the rent for the fine people of Durham!

Tickets and information available at http://durhamcookery.com/rent-party.

Live from American Tobacco!

To sweeten the deal, the Mint Julep Jazz Band has been invited to appear on WUNC’s The State of Things, hosted by Frank Stasio, on November 22, 2013 to help promote Housing for New Hope‘s inaugural Rent Party on November 23, 2013 at The Cookery in Durham (see post below). Tune in from noon to 1:00 p.m. to hear an interview and live music from the band!

Mint Julep Jazz Band Dates – Raleigh, Richmond, DC!

It’s a dream to be able to perform with my band at Glen Echo’s Spanish Ballroom

After a pretty low-key summer, the Mint Julep Jazz Band is kicking things into high gear – starting Labor Day weekend, we have gigs four weekends in a row:

August 30, 2013 – Music on the Porch – This is our last outdoor gig of the season and a rare chance to perform in Raleigh. Join us with your pic-a-nic baskets and come hang out on the grass!
3301 Pollock Place
Raleigh, NC
Time: 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Admission: $7.00 for adults, kids get in free

August 31, 2013 – Mint Julep Quintet at G2B Gastro Pub
3211 Shannon Road #106
Durham, NC
8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Admission: Free
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.

September 7, 2013 – Spanish Ballroom at Glen Echo Park – I can’t really tell you how excited I am that the Mint Julep Jazz Band is playing this wonderful, beautiful, historic ballroom! Special thanks to the Jam Cellar for bringing us up to perform.
7300 MacArthur Blvd
Glen Echo, MD
9:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.
Admission: $16.00

September 13, 2013 – Mint Julep Quintet at G2B Gastro Pub
3211 Shannon Road #106
Durham, NC
8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Admission: Free
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’ll be at another historic ballroom on September 14 at the Lewis Ginter Recreation Association

September 14, 2013 – John Ennis and Ruth Brown’s Anniversary Swing Dance
Lewis Ginter Recreation Association
3421 Hawthorne Avenue
Richmond, VA
Time: 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Admission: $10.00

September 21, 2013 – This is not a Mint Julep Jazz Band gig, but Lucian and I will be returning to Glen Echo’s Spanish Ballroom to perform with the Craig Gildner Big Band!
7300 MacArthur Blvd
Glen Echo, MD
9:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.
Admission: $18.00

Mint Julep Jazz Band CD Release Party May 8!

The members of the Mint Julep Jazz Band are beyond excited about having our album, “Durham on Saturday Night,” ready for you to listen to and enjoy!

We hope that you will join us at G2B Gastro Pub on Wednesday, May 8, 2013 for our CD release party from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. – we’ll be playing a mix of tracks from the CD and classic swing music, and the band will take the stage at 9:30 p.m. for an hour-long set. If you’d like to eat dinner, they are recommending that you make a reservation; if you’d just like to snack, drink, or hang out, come as you are!

We’ll have plenty of CDs on hand for sale and we’ll also have our Kickstarter rewards available if you designated local pickup.

If you can’t make it to the CD release party, never fear! We should have the album available on iTunes and CD Baby for digital download by May 8 and will have distribution of physical copies of the CD through CD Baby sometime in the near future. You will also be able to pick up the CD at any of our upcoming shows.

For our Kickstarter supporters who are out of town and opted for mailing your rewards, we will begin shipping the CD as soon as we have it in hand, but it may take a few weeks to get all the rewards where they need to go.

Thanks again to all of our supporters, Kickstarter backers, Jamie Wolcott for her amazing cover art, Jason Richmond for both the recording and the mastering, and our maestro Lucian Cobb for the mix. We hope you love it!

Laura Windley

Hot jazz and swing vocalist