Boston Dance Venues Learn to Dance Special Events Massachusetts
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Need a band or disc jockey for your dance or function? Want to know more about a band that's playing near you or at a dance that you want to attend? Want their address or phone number? Find out more about them here. At the bottom of this page are listings for various disc jockeys who provide music for dances.
What do the little red stars
Editor's Note: If you're interested in hiring a band, take the time to listen to them in concert or at least, listen to a demo tape. And do me a favor: tell the band or dj that you found them here on these pages. Interested in traditional or dixieland jazz? Go to New England Traditional Jazz Plus for schedules, venues, and bands.
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The Webmaster's Favorites (in no specific order):
Dom V and the Swing Out Big Band
Eight to the Bar
Sweet Willie D. & The Continental Walk
The Toni Lynn Washington Band
Contact Domenic Valarioti at 508-481-3911 or
Swing Out Productions, 103 Preston Street, Marlboro, MA 01701.
Contact Cynthia Lyons,
P.O. Box 123, Northford, CT 06472. (Booking information
and/or 24-Hour Hotline: 203-484-4749)
Contact sweetwillied@msn.com.
Contact Bruce Bears Management at 781-391-5623 or 625 Fellsway West, Medford, MA 02155.
The White Heat Orchestra
Contact Craig Ball at 617-354-7213
or P.O. Box 381008 Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA 02238-1088.
This is the original Roxy dance band...and the first band I tried
swing dancing to.
The Love Dogs
Contact Ed Sheer 617-735-0604. A favorite band regularly seen at dances all
over New England. 
(5/2/08)
The O-Tones
Contact Mary Witt at 413-584-8760.
Swing, Jazz, Rhythm & Blues, and Motown for your wedding, party, dance, or other
event. Various group sizes avaialable. Based in the heart of New England, this event
and wedding band travels to Boston as well as all of MA, CT, NY, VT, RI, and NH.
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The Acme Big Band
Contact Jim at 781-662-9057. 6- to 16-piece band plays swing, ballroom and concert jazz. |
Artie Barsamian's Boston Big Band
Contact Artie Barsamian at 978-250-7344 or P.O. Box 512, Chelmsford, MA 01824.
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Beantown Swing Orchestra
Contact Frank Hsieh at 617-272-5730. |
Bellevue Cadillac
Contact Bryon Holley at 508-520-3208 or 37 Clapp Street, Norton, MA 02766. Concert Line: 508-541-4693 |
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BJ Magoon & Driving Sideways
Contact bjmagoon@yahoo.com. A mix of Swing Blues, Boogie-Woogie and |
Blind Tiger Swing Posse
Contact Doug Moore at 508-791-3816. |
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Blue Rendezvous
Contact Paris Productions at 413-323-8660 or P.O. BOx 222, Belchertown, MA 01007. |
The Blue Suede Boppers
Contact Reebee Garofalo at 617-628-3769.
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| Bob Bachelder and the Totem Pole Big Band
Contact Bob Bachelder at 781-944-9661 or 89 Timberneck Drive, Reading. |
Bombay Jim and the Swinging Sapphires
contact Jim Porcella at 401-467-2766.
(5/9/08)
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Al Boudreau Quartet
Contact Al Boudreau at 978-283-8797. |
Cathy's Clown
Rock 'n' Roll of the '50s & '60s. For more information, contact Charlene Arsenault. (04/25/09)
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Compaq Big Band
Contact Al Saloky. The Compaq Big Band is a 21-piece big band made up of employees of Compaq Computer, former employees of Digital Equipment, and other members. They play many charity-oriented swing dances as well as clubs around the North Shore. (formerly the DECbigband).
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Dave Whitney Orchestra
Contact Dave Whitney at 978-667-5524 or 978-667-7357. 33 Wyman Road, Billerica, MA 01821-3725 |
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Dick Kaplan's Excellent Jazz Band
Contact Dick Kaplan at 978-465-0265. 6 Purchase Street, Newburyport, MA 01950. Eight piece traditional jazz/swing Ensemble. |
Drootin Brothers Band
Contact Sonny (or Al) Drootin at 781-762-7480 (Sonny) or 561-439-0935 (Al) or 181 Neponset, Norwood. |
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Eastwood Swing Orchestra
Contact Norman Daoust at 617-491-7424 or 157 Raymond Street, Cambridge, MA 02140-3314.
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Either/Orchestra
Contact Megan Berry at 617-876-4600 or Accurate Records, 288 Norfolk Street, Cambridge, MA 02139. |
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Fantasy Big Band
Contact Kent L. Kochon at 508-634-3092 or P.O. Box 216, Hopedale, MA 01747. |
Happy Feet Dance Orchestra
Contact Lucinda Ellert at 781-944-7254. 10-piece dance band with music from the 20s and 30. |
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Herb's Heard Swing Band
Contact David Jerome at 617-327-9403. Herb's Heard is a fourteen-piece orchestra featuring the swing sound of the Big Band Era. |
Java Swing Band
Contact Bill McCallum at 508-564-5302. This is a 8-piece swing band located on Cape Cod. 
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The Kenny Hadley Big Band
Contact David at 508-520-2290. 16-piece big band playing in the Boston area for 20 years. Usually play concert-type jazz events but are available for swing dances. |
Lynne Meryl Band
Contact 413-584-1789 in Northampton (May 1-Oct. 1) or 954-733-5871 in Fort Lauderdale, FL (Oct. 1-May 1). Dance music at clubs, festivals, country clubs, weddings, etc, with music from the 1920s to present. |
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Melanie & The Swing Band
Contact Bob Monroe at 508-795-7223 or P.O. Box 141, Worcester, MA 01602. |
The Meltones
Contact Rick Mederos at 401-722-0237. 
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The Mike DiBari Swingtet
Contact Mike DiBari at 617-491-3007. |
The Mood Elevators
contact Christine Towle at 508-460-7647. |
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Pendulum Swing Band
Contact Arthur Bakopolus at 978-689-3050. 7-piece band (8- with the vocalist) |
The Red Riders
Contact musiclyne@yahoo.com at 508-792-4585. |
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Ron Stone
Contact Milestones Entertainment at 508-943-4592. Two bands for your functions: Stone Daddys' Swing, a 7-piece swing band offering traditional and "neo-"swing, and Ron Stone and the Milestones Big Band, an 18-piece big band. |
Ricky "King" Russell
(01/16/09 at Swing City)
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Sax Gordon
(01/17/09 at Uptown Swing)
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Sticky Skillet Swing Orchestra
Contact Daniel Fox at 617-909-7776. (8/10/08)
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| Shawn Hershey and the Fried Bananas
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Steve Taddeo & His Swing Senders
Contact Steve Taddeo at 781-891-3214 or 38-4 garden Circle, Waltham, MA 02452. 7 piece band featuring music from the 30s & 40s. An email contact for this band is needed. |
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The Swing Legacy
Contact Henry Francis at 781-259-9007 or 16 Sunnyside Lane, Lincoln, MA 01773. |
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Trilogy
Contact Alan Souza at 774-218-1838. Trilogy can be seen and heard at ballrooms all over New England.
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Velvet Elvis
Contact Jeffrey Maté at 781-662-2256. |
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Contact Bill Winiker at 617-277-6673 or 45 Longwood Avenue, Suite 108, Brookline, MA 02146.
(12/29/08 at Upstairs on the Square)
Editor's Note: I've never seen anyone work so hard to get extra "stars" on this website. And I must admit, they might have just gotten it. The last few times I've heard them, they were playing exceptionally tight music. While they're good at other genres, if I were hiring them for a swing dance, I'd make sure they only played the big band swing music; they really don't need to show off their other stuff unless they were auditioning for a wedding gig. Regardless, they are surprisingly good at rock and roll and R&B. |
Wolverine Jazz band
Contact John Clark. Boston Metrowest area. Traditional jazz";i.e., dixieland and the dance music of the 20s. |
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The rest of New England |
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Something Cool with Karen Cameron
Contact Karen Cameron at 603-964-7551. |
Johnny and the East Coast Rockers
Contact Johnny McLeod at 401-348-0504. |
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Garry & The Moodswingers
Contact BlueSngr@ix.netcom.com at 203-458-1293. |
The Nifty Fifties Band
For booking information, contact Cheryl Scott Management at 860-693-0891. |
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| The Hot Cat Jazz Band |
Merrimack Community Jazz Ensemble
Contact Suzanne Poirier. 20-piece swing and ballroom band and is available for private functions (reunions, fundraisers, dances, etc). |
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The Rockin' Soul Horns
Contact Rob at 401-792-9897. |
King Memphis
Contact kingmemphis@kingmemphis.com. Rock-a-Billy tunes out of Maine. |
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Lex and Joe's BlueSwing
Contact Lex and Joe at 207-646-2932. (4-piece swing band) and their sister group The Night Lifes (5-piece wedding band) operate out of Ogunquit, Maine. |
Loaded Dice
Contact Rob Nelson at 401-461-4532. 9-piece band doing blues, swing and some 50's style rock and roll. |
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The Dick Campo Big Band
Contact Dick Campo at 860-443-9582 (cell 860-912-3473) New London, CT. |
Bedford Big Band
Contact Bedford Big Band at 603-471-2950. Bedford, New Hampshire. |
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Daddio's Swing Orchestra
Contact Keith W. Papa at 603-548-6492. |
Roger Ceresi and the Rockin' All Starz
Contact Roger Ceresi in 401-792-9897. Rhode Island. A band with a lot of good energy. |
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The Peter Hostage Situation
Contact Peter Hostage at 603-437-9589. New Hampshire. |
The Little Big Band
Contact Frank Pappalardo at 860-871-7582 or 860-742-1432, or Scott Summerer at 860-228-0298. Connecticut. |
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Bad Luck and Trouble
Swing/blues band. |
Coastline Swing Band
Performs at the Venice Restaurant, Westerly, Rhode Island, every first and third Thursday from 7:30 to 9:30 pm. For more information, contact the band. |
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New York and New Jersey |
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| George Gee and his Make-Believe Ballroom Orchestra
George Gee, 1275 First Avenue, Suite 144, New York, NY 10021. (718-779-7865, fax: 718-779-7867) MBBO is a 15-piece swing big band. George Gee also offers The Jump, Jive & Wailers, a 10-piece band. |
The Peter Davis and Lindy Hop Heaven
Peter Davis, Saratoga Spring, NY. (518-584-5412) |
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| The Flipped Fedoras
PACT Bookings (212-924-1009) I love their music and they are a lot of fun to dance to. |
Bob January's New York
Dance Band Orchestra
Bob January 6 different configurations of dance bands/orchestras, depending on your requirements and budget. |
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| The Central Park Stompers
Lead singer Peggy Cone passed away on Monday, February 5, 2001 after losing her fight with liver cancer. The band carries on in her memory. |
The Big Band Sound
Dave Cole (914-226-6072) 19-piece jazz orchestra based in Poughkeepsie, NY that provides the jazz music of the big band era. |
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| Swingadelic
Dave Post |
The Yalloppin' Hounds | |
| Andy Farber and his Swing Mavens
Riverdale, NY. |
The Swing Doctors
Jesse Gelber, 373 S. 4th Street, #3C, Brooklyn, NY 11211. (718-387-9766) |
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| Gerard Carelli Orchestra
Gerald Carelli, 1-800-GC-SINGS (427-4647) |
Diana Leigh and Crazy Rhythm
Ithaca, NY |
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| New York City Swing
Evan Ginzburg (bookings), 718-740-4318. |
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Most of the bands that play in the area are local acts that are only a few hours' drive away within the New England/New York region. Bands located outside that area will be listed within their individual state's webpages. If you don't see a listing for a band for your specific state, try looking on a page for an adjacent state.
There are band listings on pages for California, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, South Carolina, Canada
You can jump to the page that lists the states outside New England.
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| Tony Tye | tye@hoptothebeat.com | 508-435-2363 | MA |   |
| Bill Cameron | billcameron@dancepros.net | 860-242-6803 | CT |   |
| Jane Dumont | jane@swingdanceworks.com | 860-267-0613 | CT | |
| Fred Rapoport | djfredrap14@aol.com | 978-562-2286 | MA |  |
| Mike "Slick Mike" Smith | mike@itsallswing.com | MA | |
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| Rob Szarka | rob@lindylovers.com | 860-886-6294 | CT | |
| Ken Mercik | ken@djkenm.com | 860-749-5434 | CT | |
| Sue Cath | sue@suecathdance.com | 978-500-1563 | MA | |
| Tom "Tommy Gee" Gendrachi | tgendrachi@hotmail.com | 860-768-4752 | CT | |
| Paul Krakauske | 207-828-1795 | ME | |
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| Pete "DJPJ" Paraskevas | petedjpj@yahoo.com | 207-879-2589 | ME |  |
| Jackie Davis | 781-871-3231 | MA | |
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| J & L Sound | 508-823-4811 | MA | |
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| SuperShag Productions | chris@supershag.com | 617-266-2258 | MA | |
| Randy Deats and Kathy St. Jean | ksj111@cox.net | 401-463-1815 | RI | |
| K & S Music | kandsmusic@worldnet.att.net | RI | |
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| DanceSport of Boston | John & Anne Marie Paul | 617-325-1562 | Boston area | |
