swing band

Balast Off 2018

It’s almost time for launch of one of the most intimate, local, focused, and fun-themed Balboa events in the U.S., Balast Off in Huntsville, Alabama – I’ll be performing with Michael Gamble and the Rhythm Serenaders at the evening dances on August 3 and 4, 2018 and will hope to get in a little dancing, as well!  Kudos to Huntsville for having one of the coolest venues, the Flying Monkey Theater at the Lowe Mill – this former textile mill has been converted into a mixed-use space holding the theater, shops, restaurants, artist studio spaces, and I’m sure there’s other things I have yet to discover because I find something new every year.  Shout out to Pizzelle’s Confections and that taco truck a few blocks away – we are coming!

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Going to Madrid for The World Jam!

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EDITED 8/2/18: This event is cancelled, to my great dismay, for reasons out of the organizers control.  Some other time, Madrid… 

There aren’t enough exclamation points, I’m so excited to announce that I’ll be performing with Michael Gamble and the Rhythm Serenaders in Madrid, Spain this September at The World Jam!  This is my first international gig and the stakes are high – the premise of The World Jam event is that they invite four bands from all over the world to compete in Madrid, so each set is a band battle and the winners are…well, everyone is a winner, especially the dancers, to get to listen to and dance to all this amazing swing music!

We’ll be competing against some old friends and we’ll make some new friends from the bands we don’t know – joining us for the battle are Gordon Webster Band (NYC), Professor Cunningham and his Old School (NYC), and the Enric Peidro Swingtet (Spain).

Join us in Madrid September 27-30, 2018 if you love jazz and swing music!

 

All Balboa Weekend 2018
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Photo by @bobbykatedance

This will be my 12th All Balboa Weekend, attending and/or working in some capacity, and it’s always a joy to bring excellent swing music to these particular shuffling feet.  This year I’ll be singing with Michael Gamble and the Rhythm Serenaders octet on Friday night (June 15) and with the Michael Gamble and the Rhythm Serenaders Orchestra on Saturday night (June 16).  Michael always works in some new material for Balboa dancers and I’m excited to see what he brings to the table for this weekend and also excited to revisit all the wonderful Ella Fitzgerald charts that Michael utilizes to showcase the Heritage Sounds collection of charts (which you can buy on the Heritage Sounds website!).  See you soon, Cleveland!

May Outdoor Shows in the Triangle

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May kicks off the season for outdoor concert series and the Mint Julep Jazz Band will be joining the ranks of bands braving the elements to bring you tunes in (hopefully) sunny and pleasant weather!  On May 16, 2018 we return to Booth Amphitheater’s Hob Nob Jazz Series for a performance on the back deck from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. – admission is $5 (free for kids 12 and under) and you can either bring a picnic or buy wine and refreshments at the amphitheater.  There’s always plenty of room at the amphitheater, both on the deck and in the grass, and the deck is good for dancing!

On May 20, 2018, we’ll be performing as part of the Got to be NC Festival at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds – find us on the stage outside of Dorton Arena playing two sets from 4:15 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.  Best of all, admission to the festival is free!

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April in DC and NYC

I love visiting these two cities and, in particular, these two events – I hope will be a mix of performing and dancing for me.  First, on April 20, 2018, I’m singing with Michael Gamble and the Rhythm Serenaders Orchestra (our second performance after a fantastic debut at School of Hard Knox) at the Washington DC Lindy Exchange, in the historic Spanish Ballroom at Glen Echo Park.  On Saturday, April 21, 2018, join me and Alexandre Abdoulaev at Cafe Jovial in Baltimore from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. for some tunes, coffee, and brunch.  Then I head to New York to catch the end of Bal Week, performing with Michael Gamble and the Rhythm Serenaders on Friday and Saturday nights, April 27 and 28, 2018, and I’ll be hanging out the day before and couple of days after taking in all the good music and dancing this city has to offer.  See you soon!

Until then, here’s a video from last year’s Bal Week performance with the Glenn Crytzer Orchestra:

School of Hard Knox – March 23-24, 2018

22730119_1423315634384476_5301930625398209716_nI’ll be Knoxville-bound soon enough, but this is an extra special weekend because Michael Gamble and the Rhythm Serenaders Orchestra will have its debut performance at the Saturday night main dance at School of Hard Knox!  If you’ve been following the transcriptions projects and Indiegogo.com campaigns for Chick Webb, Jimmie Lunceford, and (soon to be launched) Lionel Hampton, you’ll know that Michael has spearheaded this endeavor and has all these great big band charts that should really continue to be heard outside of once a year at Lindy Focus.  It is my understanding that his new orchestra will be a showcase for these charts and bandleaders, so that more people can hear them, learn about them, and spread the love to other bandleaders, educators, music lovers, dancers, really anyone who may take an interest in this music.  Michael will probably also have some other things up his sleeve, so this will, at least in part, be a surprise for me as well!

If you are interested in learning more about what charts are available right now, visit the Heritage Sounds website – we are still in the process of clearing licenses for many more arrangements (which takes a long time), so stay tuned!

If you are interested in dancing, come take classes and dance at School of Hard Knox – there’s a stellar instructor lineup for the weekend, great DJs, and shenanigans to be had!

Craig Gildner Big Band at Glen Echo – March 10, 2018

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It’s always a pleasure to work with bandleader Craig Gildner and I’m excited to be joining the Craig Gildner Big Band, along with my husband Lucian Cobb as the featured trombone player, at Glen Echo Park’s historic Spanish Ballroom on March 10, 2018. We’ll have new tunes for you, or at least some new-to-me tunes that I’m excited to present to a room full of dancers!

You know the drill – beginner lesson at 8:00 p.m., dancing from 9:00 p.m. until midnight!  Come swing out, DC!

Hot Rhythm Holiday 2018 – Austin, Texas

Austin, Texas has an amazing swing dance community and plays host to an entire weekend of Balboa and Collegiate Shag at their annual event Hot Rhythm Holiday – I’m excited to be performing for TWO nights of live music with my Mint Julep Jazz Band, February 16 and 17, 2018!  We’ll be at the main dances each night from 8:15 p.m. to midnight.  Be prepared for a bunch of new tunes, maybe some special guests, it’s going to be a swell time. 😉  For more information, visit the HRH website and we’ll see you soon, Austin!

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Lindy Focus 2017

static1.squarespaceIt’s the most wonderful time of the year in many ways, but one special annual tradition for me for over 10 years at this point has been Lindy Focus, first as a dancer, then DJ, then vocalist.  This year I’ll be re-joining Jonathan Stout‘s Lindy Focus All-Star Orchestra for the main dances and Michael Gamble and the Rhythm Serenaders for late night on December 30.  I am excited that we will debut Jimmie Lunceford night on December 29, with chart transcriptions funded by the swing dance community, because Jimmie’s swing orchestra is one of my favorites.

I will also be participating in a panel discussion on December 30 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. called “Ain’t She Sweet?  Issues of Gender for Musicians in a Male Oriented Jazz World” with some of my favorite jazz women, and you should also check out all of the discussion series led by Breai Mason-Campbell on issues of race in the Lindy Hop community.  Lindy Focus is always fun and educational and I’m glad that the event continues to push us towards our better understanding and our better selves as a community.

See you soon!

St. Louis and San Francisco

I feel like it’s a year of firsts in terms of travel for me, so my next “first” is my first time not flying home between weekend gigs.  I’ll start my week of travel adventures in St. Louis for the Nevermore Jazz Ball, performing at the Saturday night and Sunday night main dances with Michael Gamble and the Rhythm Serenaders.  Saturday night is at the historic Casa Loma Ballroom, where many great bands from the swing era performed.  Check out the video below for some footage of us performing in this amazing ballroom last year at Nevermore (video thanks to Voon Chew):

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Once Nevermore wraps, I’m heading to San Francisco to perform with the Rhythm Serenaders again at Fog City Stomp at the Thursday night and Saturday night main dances.  I’ll also be DJ’ing at the Friday night dance (with Clint Baker’s Golden Gate Swing Band on the bandstand) and participating in a panel discussion before the Friday dance on live music and the swing dance community.  This will be my first trip to San Francisco and I’m excited to have a few days to see the sights, shop the shops, and eat the eats!

See you soon Mid-West and West Coast!