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

localpalooza

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

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

Mint Julep Jazz Band at Festival for the Eno, July 4, 2012

The Mint Julep Jazz Band will be celebrating Independence Day at Festival for the Eno! We’ll be performing one set at the River Stage from 2:15 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. The festival is setting up a dance floor in front of the River Stage and Jason Sager is teaching a beginner swing dance lesson at 1:45 p.m., so bring your dance shoes if you are so inclined. It will be a lovely day of picnicing and hot jazz!

West Point on the Eno City Park
5101 North Roxboro Road
Durham, NC

River Stage, 2:15 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.

For tickets and information on the festival, directions, and parking, please visit the Festival for the Eno website.

Triangle Swing Dance Society Dance, June 16, 2012

Photo from Mint Julep Jazz Band’s performance at the Carrboro Century Center on St. Patrick’s Day, courtesy of Joel Carlin.

The Mint Julep Jazz Band is excited to return to Carrboro for a show on June 16, 2012 at the Triangle Swing Dance Society swing dance, held at the Carrboro Century Center. Come dance on the finest sprung wood floor in the Triangle! Don’t know how to dance? No problem! There’s a beginner lesson at 7:00 p.m. that is included with the price of admission.

Carrboro Century Center
100 N. Greensboro Street
Carrboro, NC

Beginner east coast swing lesson – 7:00 p.m.

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

Admission: Members/students $8.00, general admission $12.00

Hawkeye Swing Festival 2012

I’m going to use this opportunity to give a shout out to my husband, trombone player Lucian Cobb, who will be featured in the Hawkeye Swing Festival‘s all-star lineup of musicians for the April 13-15 weekend! He’ll be performing with some old tour buddies (Solomon Douglas, Patrick Breiner, Mike Cemprola) and some new acquaintances (Bria Skonberg, Mike Faltesek, Paul Lines, et al).

While I didn’t win the Hawkeye Swing Festival’s choreography competition, I’m still tagging along to Iowa City for dancing, competing, and hopefully some vintage shopping for a Lindy Shopper report. This will be my first mid-west Lindy Hop event and it will be good to experience that new dynamic, as well as take a mini-work/vacay with Lucian. 🙂

Mint Julep Jazz Band plays Carrboro on St. Patrick’s Day!

We’ll be donning our finest emerald apparel for the Mint Julep Jazz Band show on March 17, 2012 at the Triangle Swing Dance Society swing dance, held at the Carrboro Century Center. Come dance on the finest sprung wood floor in the Triangle! Don’t know how to dance? No problem! There’s a beginner lesson at 7:00 p.m. that is included with the price of admission.

Carrboro Century Center
100 N. Greensboro Street
Carrboro, NC

Beginner east coast swing lesson – 7:00 p.m.

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

Admission: Members/students $8.00, general admission $12.00

Queen City Lindy Exchange 2012

On March 10, 2012 the Mint Julep Jazz Band is playing the Saturday night dance at the Queen City Lindy Exchange! The Queen City Lindy Exchange is a weekend-long swing dance event held in Charlotte, NC with dances held throughout the weekend, featuring both DJs and live bands. Speaking of DJs, I will also be one of their featured DJs for the weekend. 🙂 QCLX is organized by Eric and Stephanie Simpson of Lovin’ Lindy, who are the dearest people and I’m looking forward to working with them at this event!

For more information on the event and the Saturday night dance, please visit http://www.qclx.org/.

Mint Julep Jazz Band Debut Performance – February 23, 2012

I’m looking forward to (i.e. crazy, insanely excited about) the Mint Julep Jazz Band‘s debut performance on Thursday, February 23, 2012 at Durham’s weekly Lindy Hop and Swing dance night at Hot Club of Durham, with the band hosted by RDU Rent Party! RDU Rent Party is a pay-what-you-can swing dance where all the donations taken at the door go to the band at the end of the night. Everyone is welcome at this event – this is a large venue and there will be plenty of seating at tables for people who are not dancing.

Also making her debut with the Mint Julep Jazz Band is DJ Sarah Ovenall, host of WXDU’s Divaville Lounge, which highlights “great songs and singers from Tin Pan Alley to the swing era,” every Sunday from 2-4 p.m. on 88.7 FM. If you’ve ever heard Sarah’s show, you know that she has an extensive music collection from the jazz age and swing era. She’s up for this new DJ challenge and I’m excited to hear her first set for dancers!

The Trotter Building back then is very similar to how it looks today.

Hot Club of Durham
Trotter Building
410 W. Geer Street
Durham, NC

8:00 p.m. – Beginner lesson

9:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m. – The Mint Julep Jazz Band and DJ Sarah Ovenall

RDU Rent Party is pay-what-you-can with a suggested $10 donation

The Facebook invite: http://www.facebook.com/events/234356989972442/

For more information, visit

http://www.rdurentparty.com/

http://www.hotclubofdurham.com/

http://divavillelounge.org/

Double Rent Party Week! Jessy Carolina and the Hot Mess (1/26) and the Floyd Council Memorial Blues Dance (1/28)

It’s a busy week for RDU Rent Party as we play host two two music events – first, on Thursday, January 26, 2012, Jessy Carolina and the Hot Mess return to North Carolina for a dance at Hot Club of Durham’s weekly Lindy Hop and swing night. This 5 piece New York based hot jazz band is full of energy and Jessy belts it out like no other.

Trotter Building
410 W. Geer Street
Durham, NC

Beginner Lesson at 8:00 p.m. with Adam Speen and Abigail Browning (who will be teaching a Dean Collins and Jewel McGowan class series for Hot Club in February – check it out! http://hotclubofdurham.com/2011/12/intermediate-lesson-dance-like-dean-and-shine-like-jewel/)

Dancing from 9:00 p.m. to midnight

Admission is pay-what-you-can with a $10 suggested donation, with all donations going to the band.

Floyd Council

Second, RDU Rent Party welcomes back th’ Bullfrog Willard McGhee and Tad Walters for a very special edition of Rent Party, where all the proceeds of this dance will go to the Floyd Council Memorial Project. Floyd Council was a Piedmont Blues guitarist and singer who began playing in Chapel Hill in the 1920’s and rose to prominence in the 1930’s when he recorded with blues musician Bind Boy Fuller. His influence is widespread, including serving as inspiration and partial namesake of the band Pink Floyd. Floyd Council presently lies in an unmarked grave in the White Oak A.M.E. church cemetery in Sanford, North Carolina. The goal of the Floyd Council Memorial Project is to raise funding in order to:

1) Clear trees and brush at the cemetery
2) Place a marker to memorialize Floyd in recognition for his contribution to Blues
3) Establish long term care and maintenance of the memorial and its immediate surroundings
4) Possible creation and promotion of an annual Floyd Council Memorial Blues Festival

Come out and support th’ Bullfrog’s efforts to promote North Carolina’s blues music heritage and honor one of its most prominent musicians. It will be a night of blues that will make you sway and keep your toes tapping, at any tempo!

Triangle Dance Studio
2603 S. Miami Blvd.
Durham, NC

7:00 p.m. – Beginner lesson

8:00-11:00 p.m. – th’ Bullfrog and Tad play, with special guests John D. Holeman and Lightnin’ Wells

As always, Rent Party is pay what you can with a suggested $10 minimum donation to the band

Be My Jazz Baby, January 20-22, 2012

I am excited to be performing at the very first Be My Jazz Baby, a weekend of workshops and dances in Norfolk, Virginia, January 20-22, 2012. Bill Speidel and Victor Celania have put together a fantastic schedule, featuring instructors Michael Gamble, Jaya Dorf, Adam Speen, and Abigail Browning, with Drew Nugent and the Midnight Society of Philadelphia bringing their raucous jazz age tunes to both Friday and Saturday night dances. I’ll be singing a few tunes with Drew and the boys!

Bill and Victor have also made arrangements for a number of vendors to attend Be My Jazz Baby, so Lindy Shopper will be on hand to get the scoop. 😉 Looking forward to Be My Jazz Baby!

TSDS Battle of the Genres DJ Swing Dance

On Saturday, January 7, 2012, I will be one of three DJs battling it out in the first ever Triangle Swing Dance Society Battle of the Genres. I will be representing pre-WWII swing, Jason Sager will be playing post-WWII swing, and Kristy Milliken will dish out a healthy portion of blues, soul, and anything else you can swing out to.

We’ll also be continuing our March Madness-style battle of classic swing songs, where you’ll vote with your feet and your applause to determine the best classic swing song!

Saturday’s showdown is from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. at the Murphey School, 3717 Murphy School Road, Durham, NC. Admission is $7 for members and students, $10 for non-members.

And eat your Wheaties! It’s going to be an awesome night!