Think SWING! began in November of 2006, as the Think SWING! New Orleans Jazz Festival. Our inaugural festival was an outreach project to help New Orleans musicians continue to work and live in their home city following Hurricane Katrina. Think SWING! continued in 2007, broadening to include regional bands and artists, many of whom had developed the New Orleans sound in their own special ways. Appropriately, the festival was renamed the Think SWING! Jazz and Blues Festival, which simply means that we feature music of many varieties, united by the thing that means everything: SWING! Not only does the music swing, but festival guests can expect most performances to offer space for dancing and dining, melding the vintage dance hall with the elegant supper clubs from days gone by, much to the delight of jitterbugs and concert-goers alike.
It is our goal to encourage the Spokane community and beyond to attend by offering the best in local, regional, national, and international jazz and blues artists in the grandest, historical venues of Spokane, Washington.
Think SWING! 2008 is our best attempt yet to reach that goal, with artists coming from as far away as Sweden, New York, and New Orleans, along with regional musicians from Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver, B.C. We’ve also moved to larger venues to accommodate more guests, including the Davenport Hotel’s Marie Antoinette Ballroom and The Knitting Factory Concert House, and we’ve incorporated warm-up events at both The Spokane Masonic Center’s Commandery Room and The Panida Theatre in Sandpoint, ID. Another first for 2008 is the inclusion of a downtown Spokane night club circuit of the best in Spokane night life, with stops at The Davenport Hotel’s Peacock Room, The AlterKnit Lounge, ZOLA, Caterina Winery, The Casbah, Madeleine's, and Brooklyn Nights. In sum, we’ll be offering more than 10 different venues featuring at least 20 individual performances (many of which will be all-ages), making 2008 our most exciting event thus far!
We invite you to join us again in 2008 for the Think SWING! Jazz and Blues Festival! Whether on the dance floor, at a table for two, or in one of the dreamy lounges of Spokane, we're preparing a place for you to Think SWING!
Here is a brief introduction to the bands at Think SWING! 2008 - we're still updating this profile, so expect more bands soon!
HOT CLUB OF COWTOWN: In the United States, the Hot Club of Cowtown has been featured on All Things Considered, The Grand Ol' Opry, $40 Dollars a Day with Rachel Ray, Mountain Stage, A Prairie Home Companion, and numerous other radio and television programs. In the UK they have appeared extensively on BBC Radio with Bob Harris and Andy Kershaw, and on BBC TV's "Later" with Jools Holland, the "Live From Glastonbury Festival" broadcast, as well as throughout the UK at festivals, theatres, and clubs. Among the youngest members ever to be inducted into the Texas Western Swing Hall of Fame, in 2006 they also toured as musical ambassadors for the US State Department and were honored to be the first American band ever to tour in Azerbaijan. These days, tours with Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, the Mavericks and others keep the Hot Club of Cowtown busy dazzling new audiences both nationally and internationally throughout much of the year.
Think SWING! is honored to present Hot Club of Cowtown, live in concert in Sandpoint, ID at the historic Panida Theatre on Saturday, November 8, and again in Spokane on November 9, for the Think SWING! Festival Finale.
ANDREAS ÖBERG: In partnership with the Jazz Guitar Society of Spokane, Think SWING! is proud to feature Swedish jazz guitar virtuoso Andreas Öberg. Festival guests will be treated to a rare talent, who, according to Don Heckman of the Los Angeles Times, “…has mastered everything from bebop and swing to bossa nova, Gypsy jazz and fusion, enhanced with youthful, rock-driven vigor.”
Andreas will be accompanied by the best in Pacific Northwest Jazz, with Brent Edstrom on piano, Clipper Anderson on upright bass, and Daniel Cox on drums. Additionally, local jazz vocal sensation Julia Keefe will be adding her singing talents to the mix, creating a truly magnificent setting combining amazing local and regional talent with an internationally recognized jazz guitar virtuoso, in perhaps the most elegant ballroom in the Pacific Northwest.
We are proud to announce that Andreas will be kicking off the festival in the Marie Antoinette Ballroom at The Davenport Hotel, on Friday, November 7th, 2008, at 6:30pm.
Additionally, Andreas will be offering a Master Class on jazz guitar at the AlterKnit Lounge in the Knitting Factory Concert House on the afternoon of Saturday, November 8th, 2:30pm to 4:30pm
CASEY MacGILL’S BLUE 4 TRIO: Think SWING! is proud to present for the second year in a row, and festival favorite of 2007, Casey MacGill’s Blue 4 Trio, a group recognized by the Spokesman-Review as “…the personification of swing authenticity.” Guests of Casey’s 2008 performance will delight in music from “the 20s to the 60s all happening at the same time” in one of the grandest vintage ballrooms in Spokane – the Marie Antoinette Ballroom at The Davenport Hotel, November 7th at 9:30pm. Special guest Matt Munisteri, who has been recognized by Downbeat magazine as one of the best traditional jazz guitarists in New York today, will be joining the Blue 4 Trio for their second set.
SOLOMON DOUGLAS SWINGTET: Solomon's bands (including the Solomon Douglas Swingtet, Back Pocket, Corner Pocket, and the Solomon Douglas Trio) have played at countless exchanges, camps, workshops, and other events in North America, Asia, and Australia since 2000. The Solomon Douglas Swingtet is a ten-piece dance band whose repertoire is rooted in the Basie and Ellington bands, with other big-band influences thrown in as well. Playing the Knitting Factory Concert House at Think SWING! 2008, the Solomon Douglas Swingtet is certain to drive dancers wild and bring concert-goers to their feet with stellar swingin’ performances of classic tunes from the American songbook. Showtime: 9:30pm, Saturday November 8th
BRIA SKONBERG: Joining the Solomon Douglas Swingtet and Pete Petersen's Porkpie Septet will be Vancouver B.C.'s up and coming super talent on trumpet and vocals. At age 24, Bria Skonberg has been performing on stage for over 20 years. She has made appearances as a bandleader and guest artist all over North America, Europe, and Asia. Early in 2008 she was a guest on Riverwalk Jazz with the Jim Cullum Jazz Band, representing the “next generation of jazz”. She is often a featured performer with Canadian Icon Dal Richards and his Orchestra. She co-leads and manages three jazz bands based in the Pacific Northwest: The Big Bang Jazz Band aka The 51st Eight (www.bigbangjazzband.com) The Mighty Aphrodite Jazz Band (www.mightyjazz.com) and Bria's Hot Five. She is also a member of The Hoppin' Mad Orchestra, the Yukon based quintet New Orleans North, and is featured often with the Solomon Douglas Swingtet.
Think SWING! is proud to announce that Bria will perform twice on November 8th at The Knitting Factory Concert House, once during the Matinee with headliner The Pete Petersen Septet, and again during the late sets with the Solomon Douglas Swingtet.
HOT CLUB OF NEW ORLEANS: We’re proud and honored to announce the return of genuine New Orleans musicians to the Think SWING! line-up in 2008 with a band that performs regularly on Frenchmen Street, as part of the local New Orleans nouveau swing revival. According to Mark Fowler of OffBeat magazine: “…Hot Club of New Orleans have challenged themselves with an awesome task: take the swing era music of Duke Ellington, Django Reinhardt, [and others,] retain the classic groove, avoid sounding like a museum piece, and then infuse it with their own modern sensibilities. …Hot Club of New Orleans excels at generating that warm, swinging drive that Django Reinhardt was famous for and at the same time, [they] transcend the idiom by eschewing blind obedience to stylistic conventions; in other words the solos are modern, kids … [and] they are so tight and swinging, their solos so driving, at times they seem almost superhuman.” With their fourth album just released, named for the Django Reinhardt tune “Heavy Artillery,” Hot Club of New Orleans is ready to drop the jaws of Think SWING! guests, in Frenchmen Street style, on stage at the Knitting Factory Concert House, showtime at 5:30pm.
PETE PETERSEN SEPTET: "Get ready for some swinging, down the center of the groove, well-paced, scintillating straight-ahead jazz and bop from a Portland cat who writes and plays in the best of the tradition," writes George Fendel of the Jazz Society of Oregon. Adds Paul DeBarros of the Seattle Times, "Petersen's an accomplished player. He has a big, throaty tone and a blowzy, swashbuckling style with the conversational touch of old-time sax players." The original creators of this uniquely American art form called jazz were the Rock Stars of their time; more than just notes and rhythms, their music had an energy to it that was intended to connect with audiences and show them a good time. Think SWING! proudly announces the critically-acclaimed Pete Petersen Septet as the matinee headliner at the Knitting Factory Concert House, November 8, 2008, at 1:00pm. Petersen's music is the real deal: his blend of skillfully-arranged jazz standards and original compositions succeed at sounding both nostalgic and fresh at the same time, and his band's energetic performance promises to bring the audience along for the ride.
THE STOLEN SWEETS: Also returning for their second year, festival favorites The Stolen Sweets will be bringing their 1930s “succulent three-part female vocal harmonies” and gypsy jazz accompaniment back for Think SWING! 2008 with a special engagement at The Panida Theatre in Sandpoint, ID on Friday, November 7th, at 8:00pm. Focused on reviving the tight arrangements of 1930s New Orleans favorites, The Boswell Sisters, the Stolen Sweets perform toe-tapping tunes with charming Boswellian elements including sharp tempo-changes, and "knowing shrugs and raised eyebrows," as noted by the Oregonian's A&E.
MATT MUNISTERI: Joining Think SWING! 2008 as one of "New York's best vintage guitar stylists" (Downbeat Magazine) Matt Munisteri has worked with a wide range of artists including Frank Vignola, Bucky Pizzarelli, Wynton Marsalis and The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, John-Erik Kellso, Jimmy Scott, Madeline Peyroux, and Steven Bernstein's Millennial Territory
Orchestra. Matt is also a singer and a songwriter ("Wicked - jazz musicians aren't supoosed to write lyrics that good" - The Village Voice) who leads the acclaimed "alt-trad" band BROCK MUMFORD. His debut CD "Love Story" garnered the #2 slot on Amazon.com's "Best Jazz Cds of 2003". The New Yorker calls him "a present day ironist, with a pre-war heart", and Time Out says he writes "the type of tunes that only Randy Newman is supposed to be able to get away with." A Brookyn native, Matt is regularly called upon to play on a wide range of CDs, and has made numerous appearances on Prairie Home Companion. Matt will be performing with Casey MacGill’s Blue 4 Trio in the Marie Antoinette Ballroom on Friday, November 7th, and then again at The Knitting Factory Concert House accompanied by Hot Club of Spokane on Saturday, November 8th. Don’t miss your chance to catch these rare performances which will certainly appeal equally to fans of John Pizzarelli and Tom Waits!
BOB CURNOW BIG BAND: Bob Curnow (born in Easton, PA) was a trombonist with The Stan Kenton Orchestra, touring all of the United States, Great Britain, Scotland and Wales (1963). He was a member of the last "Mellophonium Band". In 1973, he began a four-year stint as the A & R Director, arranger, composer, record producer and general manager for Kenton's Creative World Records. He produced over 30 LPs for Kenton, and his arrangements and compositions can be heard on six Stan Kenton albums. His company (Sierra Music) is the exclusive publisher of the Stan Kenton Orchestra Library, along with the music of many other great jazz artists/composers.
Curnow had the great honor of being inducted into the Hall of Fame of the International Association of Jazz Education in January, 1999. Also in that Hall of Fame are Louis Armstrong, Stan Kenton, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Maynard Ferguson, Woody Herman, Billy Taylor, and Benny Carter among others.
His more recent activities include conducting and arranging the widely-acclaimed (see Amazon.com reviews) big-band recording of Pat Metheny music. The CD is Bob Curnow's L.A. Big Band, The Music of Pat Metheny & Lyle Mays. The CD has gotten consistent rave reviews from all over the world.
Think SWING! is proud to feature the Bob Curnow Big Band at the Spokane Masonic Center’s Commandery Room on Sunday, November 9th, at 1:00pm, playing dance tunes from the libraries of Doc Severinson, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and others, with a 20 piece big band.
6' SWING: Regardless of where they play, whether it’s a swanky night club like the Peacock Room at the Davenport Hotel or a vintage dance floor like the second floor theatre at CenterStage, 6’ Swing entices even the most timid toe tapper to rise up and cut the rug. Founded in Spring of 2007, they’ve become one of the most sought after small ensemble jazz bands in Spokane, playing shows or parties nearly every weekend.
Named the best band by the Pacific Northwest Inlander’s reader’s poll, The Inlander describes their music as, “very tight, bouncy and perfect for the kind of acrobatic dancing you’d imagine would accompany it." 6' Swing will be performing at The Casbah as part of the Think SWING! "River of Music" night club circuit on Friday, November 7th, as well as during the Matinee session at The Knitting Factory Concert House on Saturday, November 8th, showtime at 1:00pm.
MISS ROSE & HER RHYTHM PERCOLATORS: Miss Rose & Her Rhythm Percolators play songs from the Jazz Age, an era that began around 1920 and continued on up to 1935 when the Big Band sound became all the rage. The band stays true to the original spirit of the music while infusing it with their own style. Not only has Miss Rose undertaken a brief tour to Asia, but she has also secured regular shows in Seattle’s most notable night spots, including The Pink Door, and Conor Byrne. Guests will be treated to 1920s mood & ambiance - the sometimes sweet, sometimes dreamy vocals of Miss Rose, along with the band’s charming garb serve to provide audiences with a powerful time portal, not to be out-done by the genuine sound of the music itself. Miss Rose & Her Rhythm Percolators will be performing late sets in the Peacock Room at The Davenport Hotel as part of the "Think SWING! River of Music," as well as a matinee set at The Knitting Factory Concert House on Saturday, November 8th.
JULIA KEEFE: A recent graduate of Spokane's Gonzaga Prep High School, Julia has more recently been simultaneously pursuing a career in music and a college degree. While school and music take her far away from Spokane, she does return for an occasional show, one such causing Edward Piercy to blog that: “I have a feeling that this was one of those concerts that people are going to look back on several decades from now and say to themselves, 'I knew her then.' She certainly has tons of talent and an obvious love for old jazz.” Local print has just as much praise: the Spokane 7 reported that Julia is "a young jazz diva who has been turning heads with her sweet, sultry singing style and smooth scat runs," and the Inlander chronicles Julia's occasional local concerts as "a big deal" noting that she was named Outstanding Vocalist at the 2007 Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival.
Think SWING! Jazz and Blues Festival is proud to feature Julia Keefe in the Think SWING! River of Music, at Caterina Winery on November 7th, at 9:30pm. Additionally, Julia will make a special guest appearance with Andreas Oberg in the Marie Antoinette Ballroom at the Davenport Hotel that same evening.
THE BAND OF RANDY PIRATES: The Band of Randy Pirates features local musicians Amber Ford, Abraham Glubrecht, and Keagan O'Brien. Dubbing their sound "Gypsy Pirate Jams," the band features clarinet, guitar, and snare, and the band hopes to add washtub bass. Capturing the Jackson Square - New Orleans street busker's sound, they remain entirely acoustic, even foregoing vocal mics. One would expect to find them sloshing ales and jamming at La Fitte's bar in New Orleans, but happily, they'll be bringing their gypsy pirate original tunes (and maybe a few covers) to Brooklyn Nights for the Think SWING! River of Music on Friday, November 7th!
Think SWING! Jazz and Blues Festival is proud to feature The Band of Randy Pirates in the Think SWING! River of Music, at Brooklyn Nights on November 7th, at 9:30pm!
ALYSE BLACK: Getting her start singing on the streets of Seattle and at the famous Pike Place Market, Alyse shares with audiences a crimson silk voice set to deceptively lovely pop tunes. In the same vein as Michael Bublé and Norah Jones, Alyse combines jazz sensibilities with a pop-rock sound to create sensual music that is winning the hearts of fans across many genres. With original, award winning tunes, Alyse Black will soon be featured at mycoke.com for her song, "Wouldn't It Be Nice?" and "Stood for Stand for" just received first place in Billboard's 15th Annual World Song Contest in the category of Jazz. According to Rocktober Magazine, Alyse "...boldly channels Bjork, Billie, and Bush (Kate, not GW). Best yet, this jazzy, arty, oddball epic also sounds like Alyse Black more than any of her influences."
Think SWING! Jazz and Blues Festival is proud to feature Alyse Black in the Think SWING! River of Music, at ZOLA on November 7th, at 9:30pm.
NICK SCHAUER AND DANNY McCOLLIM: As regulars on the Spokane music scene, Nick Schauer and Danny McCollim have combined to play nearly every venue and every event in recent Spokane history. It’s no surprise, then, that they’ll be teaming up to contribute to the Think SWING! River of Music, playing at the uber-hip AlterKnit Lounge in the Knitting Factory Concert House on Friday, November 7th, at 9:30pm.
Nick Schauer holds a degree in music from Central Washington University, and has played in many ensembles across the state, most notably The Boomtali Posse and the Horndogs in Seattle, and Soul Proprietor in Spokane. Nick has been gigging regularly with his own collection of guest artists, known as Schauer With Friends, since 1997. Nick has had the good fortune of studying with jazz guitar legends and virtuosos such as Jack Wilkins, Howard Alden, Jimmy Wyble, and others, as well as perform with such greats as Paquito D’Rivera, Carmon Bradford, Don Lanphere, Bruce Badad (The Cannonball/Coltrane Project), the Coasters, the Platters, and the Shangri-La’s.
Danny McCollim, a graduate of the Berklee College of Music, Boston, Massachusetts is an accomplished pianist, composer and arranger, and he has performed with the Spokane Symphony under Gunther Schuller, the Spokane Jazz Orchestra, the Violin Jazz summit under Gunther Schuller, and such artists as saxophonists Michael Brecker, Richie Cole, and Ernie Watts; trumpeters Freddie Hubbard and Jack Sheldon; guitarists Howard Roberts, Corey Christianson, Michael Powers; Bassists, Clipper Anderson, Doug Folkins; as well as the Mills Brothers, the Platters, the Drifters, The Cab Calloway Orchestra and numerous local groups in the Spokane and Boston areas. Danny is currently leader The Danny McCollim Trio. He is also on the faculty at SFCC teaching jazz studies and Music Technology. Danny is also currently performing with Motown recording artist Peter Rivera, original lead singer and drummer with “Rare Earth.”
HOT CLUB OF SPOKANE: Hot Club of Spokane began in June of 2007 as Spokane’s first band in recent memory to resurrect, preserve, and perform the compositions and stylings of Django Reinhardt and the Quintette of the Hot Club of France. Not strictly a “gypsy jazz string ensemble,” Hot Club of Spokane enjoys the musical diversity of not only strings, provided by Andrew Wilson (violin), Kim Plewniak (bass), and Garrin Hertel (rhythm guitar), but also brass, performed by Michael Lenke (trumpet, flugelhorn), reeds, performed by Robert Folie (alto and baritone sax), as well as vocals, sung by Daini Hertel. The band also welcomes an exciting array of guest musicians on lead guitar, reeds, and accordion. Such diversity allows the band to infuse as much hot New Orleans Jazz into their arrangements and performances as they do the swingin’ sounds of World War II-era Paris.
Hot Club of Spokane will be performing with Matt Munisteri on Saturday, November 8th, at the Knitting Factory Concert House. Additionally, Hot Club of Spokane will provide the opening set for the Think SWING! Festival Finale at the Spokane Masonic Center with headliner Hot Club of Cowtown!
If you haven't checked out the first year's bands already, here is a slide show of the groups that played Think SWING! 2006. These New Orleans musicians continue to work and live in the City Beneathe the Sea, and we are honored to have hosted them for the inaugural Think SWING! festival. Please visit them on myspace, or on the world wide web, and support New Orleans, its culture, and its people. You may need to refresh this page to start the slideshow...
A Think SWING! 2006 festival podcast is available here, sorted by band/artist:
Please visit these New Orleans musicians myspace pages by clicking on their photos in our friends list!
The podcasts above were provided by The 7, which is the entertainment division of the Spokesman-Review. Special thanks to Isamu Jordan for his enthusiastic support of Think SWING! 2006! We could not have done it without him, nor without the help of The 7. Click here for a special article about Think SWING! 2006, written by Isamu Jordan, and published in November 2006 in anticipation of the event.
Please consider supporting the New Orleans Musicians' Relief Fund. Keep the birth place of Jazz going strong by helping displaced New Orleans musicians return to the city that started it all!
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