What do the little red stars
mean? It means that I saw them at a dance
within the last year and the number of stars indicate how much they inspired me to swing dance.
The number of stars can also go up or down. Bands with no stars
means I haven't seen them live or it's been a while since I've last seen them. Some
bands got fewer stars, not because they were bad, but because their "swing content" was
lower than expected or desired; some bands are exciting concert bands, but I probably
wouldn't hire them to do a swing dance.
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.
Want to hear swing/big band music when you're at your computer? Set your web browser to Martini in the Morning for music to put you in the mood 24x7!
Sometimes I wonder if the bands really care that they're listed here (well, one of them really does.) Very rarely do I hear from a band asking me to come and check them out. Some of them I like more than others and some I want to support more than others. And there are others that I've never heard. There is certainly a short list of bands that would encourage me to leave the house to go dancing. While I'm sure that a lot of people will disagree with my selection, I'd like to let these bands know that *I* like what they're doing.
The Webmaster's Favorites (in no specific order):
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Contact Cynthia Lyons, P.O. Box 123, Northford, CT 06472. (Booking information and/or 24-Hour Hotline: 203-484-4749)
Sweet Willie D. & The Continental Walk
Contact sweetwillied@msn.com.
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Contact Bruce Bears Management at 781-391-5623 or 625 Fellsway West, Medford, MA 02155.
Editor's note: I love dancing to Toni's music. She understands what a swing rhythm really is and can turn just about any song into Swing music.
This is the only band for which I've driven to NYC to dance....twice.
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 in 1991...and the band that played at my wedding 24 years later.
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Contact Ed Sheer 617-735-0604. A favorite band regularly seen at dances all over New England.
The O-Tones
Contact Mary Witt at 413-584-8760.
Swing, Jazz, Rhythm & Blues, and Motown for your wedding, party, dance, or other
F 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.
"Sax" Gordon Beadle
For more information, contact "Sax" Gordon.
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Contact Memphis Rockabilly Band.
(9/4/11 in Leominster.
Would have given full stars if they played all swing. Close enough. 11/2011: Played at my birthday party.)
Massachusetts:
I don't get to hear most of these bands so I would appreciate if anyone had updates on the bands' status. It's a pain to have to call them up to find out if they still exist.
Contact Frank Hsieh at 617-272-5730.
BJ Magoon & Driving Sideways
Contact bjmagoon@yahoo.com.
A mix of Swing Blues, Boogie-Woogie and
Blue Rendezvous
Contact Paris Productions
at 413-323-8660 or P.O. BOx 222, Belchertown, MA 01007.
Dan Gable and The Abletones
"Swing and dance music of the 1930s and 40s". For more information, write to gablemusic@gmail.com or
call 774-280-1502.
Dave Whitney Orchestra
Contact Dave Whitney at 978-667-5524 or 978-667-7357. 33 Wyman Road, Billerica, MA
01821-3725
Drootin Brothers Band
Contact Sonny (or Al) Drootin at
781-762-7480 (Sonny) or 561-439-0935 (Al) or 181 Neponset, Norwood.
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.
The Mood Elevators
contact Christine Towle at 508-460-7647.
The Mood Swings Orchestra
For more information, contact Lynn Tibbets
at 617-794-4914.
Pendulum Swing Band
Contact Arthur Bakopolus at
978-689-3050. 7-piece band (8- with the vocalist)
Sticky Skillet Swing Orchestra
Contact Daniel Fox at
617-909-7776.
(8/10/08)
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Contact Bill Winiker at 617-277-6673 or 45 Longwood Avenue, Suite 108, Brookline, MA 02146.
Contact Bryon Holley at 508-520-3208 or 37 Clapp Street, Norton, MA 02766. Concert Line: 508-541-4693
Blind Tiger Swing Posse
Contact Doug Moore at 508-791-3816.
The Blue Suede Boppers
Contact Reebee Garofalo
at 617-628-3769.
Bombay Jim and the Swinging Sapphires
contact Jim Porcella at 401-467-2766.
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).
Dick Kaplan's Excellent Jazz Band
Contact Dick Kaplan at dickkaplan@comcast.net or
978-465-0265. 6 Purchase Street, Newburyport, MA 01950.
Three to eight piece traditional jazz/swing Ensemble.
Either/Orchestra
Contact Megan Berry at
617-876-4600 or Accurate Records, 288 Norfolk Street, Cambridge, MA 02139.
Eastwood Swing Orchestra
Contact Norman Daoust
at 617-491-7424 or 157 Raymond Street, Cambridge, MA 02140-3314.
Fantasy Big Band
Contact Kent L. Kochon at 508-634-3092 or
P.O. Box 216, Hopedale, MA 01747.
The Mike DiBari Swingtet
Contact Mike DiBari
at 617-491-3007.
Mike Dibari appears in other bands and makes them sound better.
Little Red & The Riders
Contact musiclyne@yahoo.com at 508-792-4585.
Rico Barr and the Jump 'n Jive Review
For more information, contact the band at 978-857-9457 or rmbarr@comcast.net.
Solon Z & the Sapphires
Contact Solon Z.
at 617-651-3434. 24-piece big band orchestra.
The Swing Legacy
Contact Henry Francis at
781-259-9007 or 16 Sunnyside Lane, Lincoln, MA 01773.
The Tom Nutile Big Band
Contact Tom Nutile at tom@tom@tomnutile.com
or 508-651-9909.
Trilogy
Contact Alan Souza at 774-218-1838.
Trilogy can be seen and heard at ballrooms all over New England. 
Wolverine Jazz band
Contact John Clark.
Boston Metrowest area. Traditional jazz";i.e., dixieland and the dance music of the 20s.
The rest of New England
Contact Karen Cameron at 603-964-7551.
Roger Ceresi and the Rockin' All Starz
Contact Roger Ceresi in 401-792-9897.
Rhode Island.
A band with a lot of good energy.
The Rockin' Soul Horns
Contact Rob at 401-792-9897.
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.
The Dick Campo Big Band
Contact Dick Campo at dick.campo@snet.net or
860-443-9582 (cell 860-912-3473) in New London, Connecticut.
Daddio's Swing Orchestra
Contact Keith W. Papa at 603-548-6492.
Fogcutters Big Band
Maine. Contact them at fogcuttersbigband@gmail.com
Ben Andrews Swing Band
Providence, Rhode Island. For more information, call Ben at 502-552-5174 or write to
ramcat@mac.com.
Contact Johnny McLeod at 401-348-0504.
The Nifty Fifties Band
For booking information, contact Cheryl Scott Management at 860-693-0891.
Bedford Big Band
Contact Bedford Big Band at 603-471-2950.
Bedford, New Hampshire.
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.
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.
Joe Levesque Big Band
18-piece big band based in Vermont. For more information contact
Laura Barbieri at Musiclearningstudio@yahoo.com
or 802-264-5405.
Simply Swing
Contact at info@simplyswingmusic.com or 86-989-9217.
Red Satin Band
Contact Frank Pappalardo at 860-0871-7582.
Lakes Region Big Band
For more information, contact Dani Corning at danilrbb@hotmail.com or 603-219-2284.
New York and New Jersey
Contact George at ggork@interjazz.com or call 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 Flipped Fedoras
PACT Bookings (212-924-1009)
Gerard Carelli Orchestra
Gerald Carelli,
1-800-GC-SINGS (427-4647)
Diana Leigh and Crazy Rhythm
Ithaca, NY
3/3/2015: This URL was bad.
Gordon Webster
New York City, NY
The
Fried Bananas
Based out of NYC and Philadelphia.
Peter Davis, Saratoga Spring, NY. (518-584-5412)
Bob January's New York
Dance Band Orchestra
Bob January
6 different configurations of dance bands/orchestras,
depending on your requirements and budget.
Swingadelic
Contact Dave Post
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.
The Swing Doctors
Jesse Gelber,
373 S. 4th Street, #3C, Brooklyn, NY 11211. (718-387-9766)
New York City Swing
Evan Ginzburg (bookings),
718-740-4318.
Elsewhere
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.
Disc Jockeys
Some disc jockeys are mentioned here because I know them (and like them). Others (particularly the ballroom ones) are listed because they requested the listing or someone suggested the addition. In those latter instances, I probably don't know anything about them (regardless of how good they really are) so ask around to see which ones are recommended by the people you know.| Tony Tye | tye@hoptothebeat.com | 508-435-2363 | MA |   |
| Bill Cameron | billcameron@dancepros.net | 860-242-6803 | CT |  |
| Fred Rapoport | djfredrap14@aol.com | 978-562-2286 | MA |  |
| Rob Szarka | rob@lindylovers.com | 860-373-0249 | CT | |
| Ken Mercik | ken@djkenm.com | 860-749-5434 | CT | |
| 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 |  |
| 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 | |
| John Soares | info@studiooneri.com | 401-305-3551 | Rhode Island | |
Last updated March 3, 2015.