Big Band of the Week – Thom Roland Dance Band

Drummer Tom Schwartz took over trombonist George Quinan’s Hunt Valley Jazz Band in 2000, purchased its library and changed the name to Thom Roland Dance Band. He says that the band’s book of charts from the 1940s – ‘70s is patterned after Shades of Blue’s: i.e., all recognizable dance tunes. As is true of a few of the other big bands we have written about in this series, Roland’s five- and ten-piece bands are much more active than the big band. He says the smaller groups, represented by a booking agency, are “still thriving,” citing a gig this month and the next one in October. The big band’s web site is www.thethomrolanddanceband.com.

This article continues our series on area big bands — if you missed any of them, you can catch them here at Big Band of the Week.