Compaq Big Band
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Compaq Big Band
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Spring Fever is about to hit New England full force (really, it WILL get warmer...)! We sure hope everyone gets infected, 'cause the over-the-dance-floor cure available to all without a prescription is equal parts 19-piece big band, fabulous jazz vocalist, program of 100% swing arrangements, terrific sound system (and engineer), beginner lesson included in the very reasonable admission price, and optional separate-admission bootcamp... WOW!!!
Get out and dance on Saturday June 13th when the Compaq Big Band with vocalist Cara Campanelli returns to New England's longest running - and in our opinion THE BEST - public, commercial swing dance in the region, Swing City!
Note, this dance was originally scheduled for May 2 and was postponed because of remodeling at the venue.
Vintage swing dress is always in vogue, but so is just dropping by in comfortable street clothes. Whatever you wear, please make the shoes are appropriate for the nice dance floor.
The band plays 9:00 PM to Midnight. Group-friendly beginner swing lesson 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM included in admission to the dance (no entry between 8:15 PM to 9:00 PM, please). There is a Lindy Bootcamp 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM (see Swing City for more information).
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Swing City is held at the Russell Youth Center (West Cambridge Youth Center) located at 680 Huron Avenue in Cambridge, MA. That's situated on the northwestern side of Cambridge, only 3.5 miles from the Alewife 'T' station, with easy access via Route 2 from points north, south, and west of Boston. See swingcityboston.com/directions.html. There's free parking, on-street or in the small municipal lot across the road. SC has a spacious dance floor, and water & soft drinks are available for cash purchase.
Both the workshop and lesson are led by expert instructors. Come early and stay all evening, or just drop by later for the last set or two if you'd like.
Swing City is famous for being inclusive, welcoming singles, couples, groups, collegiate swing dance clubs, and meetups. Dancers of all ages and experience levels have flocked to SC for decades, and you'll always find wonderful, patient partners, from novice to expert. Most importantly, just plain nice people. And, SC's always been faithful to their rich tradition of booking terrific swing bands - from New England and beyond.
Especially if you're new to swing dancing – or even just want to take it on a short 'test drive' - Swing City is THE iconic dance environment to dip your toes in the water.
Cara Campanelli is one of our rotation of Boston- and New York City-based jazz vocal stars. She'll be out front channelin' Diane Schuur, Ella Fitzgerald, Natalie Cole, and more. Cara's an award-winning vocalist and bandleader, whose petite frame conceals a powerful and deeply haunting voice. Her style harkens back to the great vocalists of the Big Band Era, evoking the glamour and sophistication of classic jazz as few modern vocalists can. Originally from New York, Cara began singing and performing in a variety of styles from a young age. She attended Boston College, where she delved into world music, continued her jazz vocal studies, and earned a BA in Music.
Early on in her musical career, Cara was singled out by DownBeat magazine, who named her an Outstanding Vocalist. She went on to share the stage with jazz great Roberta Gamborini at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival, and was named a "talent to watch" by the legendary trumpeter Wayne Bergeron following her vocal performance at the Elmhurst Jazz Festival. Her LP, "So Near", received critical acclaim both in the states and abroad, earning international distribution. Cara's 2013 original single "Poor Heart" marked a maturing approach that reinterpreted the '40s torch song for a modern audience. Her video for the song went on to win Best Music Video at the New York City Independent Film Festival.
Since graduating from Boston College, Cara's become a dedicated, full-time music educator in Greater Boston, and has performed with a variety of jazz ensembles in the New England region, as well as her own Cara Campanelli Group.
We'll also be hittin' the dancers with some of our best instrumental arrangements, too. Think Sammy Nestico, Frank Foster, Billy Strayhorn...
Just as with our packed-house debut at the 'old' Swing City in the 1990s (the West Cambridge VFW at the same street address - with the rocket ship out front...) our sets will be *100% DANCEABLE SWING* – mostly medium, a few a little slower, some a bit faster. But, NO BALLROOM, LATIN, OLDIES, ROCK, OR POP STYLES mixed in.
Those great sets will, of course, contain several original arrangements of compositions from the Golden Age of big bands to anchor the evening, but we'll enhance the dance as only the Compaq Big Band can by mixing in some more progressive - and more hip - arrangements of the Great American Songbook and much more! It all adds up to approachable treatments of swingin' tunes you all know.
Another hallmark of our swing dance performances is an organized, no-nonsense approach to minimizing the time between tunes. Dancers also appreciate that on every one of our gigs we utilize our own professional, comprehensive, state-of-the-art traveling sound system, operated from start to finish of the event by our very experienced, full-time engineer. That means you'll hear Cara, the instrumental soloists, and the entire ensemble, very clearly.
All of this is presented with the band's passion for production excellence unmatched by other regional competitors. in the region, Swing City.
Especially if you're new to swing dancing – or even just want to take it on a short 'test drive' - Swing City is THE iconic dance environment to dip your toes in the water.
Vintage swing-dance dress is always in vogue, but so is just dropping by in comfortable dance garb. Whatever you wear, make the shoes appropriate for the dance floor.
The band plays 9:00 PM to Midnight. Lindy Bootcamp 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM. Group-friendly beginner swing lesson 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM included in admission to the dance (no entry between 8:15 PM to 9:00 PM, please). Both the workshop and lesson are led by expert instructors. Come early and stay all evening, or just drop by later for the last set or two if you'd like. For more information, see www.swingcityboston.com.
Admission is just $20 per person at the door, Cash Only, please.
Swing City is held at the Russell Youth Center (West Cambridge Youth Center) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It' on the northwestern side of Cambridge, only 3.5 miles from the Alewife 'T' station, with easy access via Route 2 from points north, south, and west of Boston. SC has a spacious dance floor, and water and soft drinks are available for cash purchase.
For directions, see swingcityboston.com/directions.html. There's free parking, on-street or in the small municipal lot across the road.
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