Big Band Alumni

Active since: 2000

The Big Band Alumni is a 17-piece big band that features some musicians that are graduates of the greatest big bands of all time like Benny Goodman, Harry James, Stan Kenton, Woody Herman, Count Basie, Jimmy & Tommy Dorsey, and many others from the Big Band Era.

The Big Band Alumni is in its 25th year of existence. The band was created by musicians who were members of the big bands (largely) of the 1940’s who were responsible for the swing era. Over the 21 years there have been replacements. Like many big bands of the 40’s we also have vocalists who have always been younger than the original band members.

Sammy Kaye

Born: March 13, 1910

Sammy Kaye (1910 - 1987) was an American bandleader and songwriter best known for his tagline "Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye." Born in Lakewood, Ohio, Kaye studied at Ohio University before forming his own orchestra in the 1930s. His band became widely successful, recording numerous hits, most notably "Swing and Sway" in 1937 and "Daddy" in 1941. Kaye's band's signature style leaned more towards more sweet, catchy dance tunes, opposed to some of the louder, brassier and more solo-based bands of the era. He was also known for audience participation gimmicks, such as "So You Want to Lead a Band," where guests conducted his orchestra

Dance

By Leni Stern

Label: LSR
Released: 2021
Track listing: Ya Rakhman/Prayer; Aljouma/Friday; Maba; Kani/Hot Pepper; Khale/Children; Kono/Bird; Daouda Sane; Fonio/Grain.

Leni Stern: Dance

by Jim Worsley
June 2, 2021

Compelling is the word. If you are in search of a one word description of Leni Stern's new record, it is indeed the word. Then again, that aptly applies to her body of work over the past thirty-five years. Dance is as much a metaphor as it is a movement. Life, in its never ending struggle ...

Leni Stern: Dance

by Geno Thackara
May 31, 2021

If one key to a great dance is having the right partner, it must be a doubly (maybe even exponentially) better key to have several.?Leni Stern began something of a sequence by forming a new trio for the straightforward 3 (LSR, 2018) and expanding to a quartet with 4 (LSR, 2020). The same group has further ...

George Lake BIG Band

Active since: March 1, 1995

With lots of brass, a little sass, and plenty of pizzazz, the award-winning George Lake BIG Band would be happy to swing for you sometime soon. Their finely tuned repertoire draws on the timeless appeal of the greats; Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, Artie Shaw and arrangements by modern swing artists like The Cherry Poppin�� Daddies and The Brian Setzer Orchestra. This distinctive blend has given the George Lake Big Band a unique style that continues to win fans from every generation. Simply put, they can really swing!

Dance

By Hugh Masekela

Label: Justin Time
Released: 1976