Year: 2018

If you’re looking for a group that honors the classic tradition of the Big Band Era, the Bel Air Community Jazz Ensemble fits the bill. Go to a performance and you’re likely to hear evergreens such as “In the Mood” from Glenn Miller and “It Don’t Mean a Thing” from Duke Ellington. | Read more>> Read More

Totally composed of senior citizens ranging from 60 to over 90, the Baltimore County Senior Swing Band (BCSSB) began twenty years ago under the direction of Maurice Feldman, a former Baltimore County School Department music supervisor. The band, led by saxophonist Matt Elky, a 74-year-old retired public school music teacher, is sponsored by the Reisterstown Senior Center, where they rehearse every Tuesday. | Read more>> Read More

Annapolis Junction Big Band, founded in 1991, may be the only ensemble named for the scene of a car accident, one in which director Jim Tavener was involved but not seriously hurt.  Like so many other big bands in our area, this one’s leader plays trumpet. | Read more>> Read More

Someone in the Ain’t Misbehavin’ Big Band has a sense of humor. Both their business card and the banner they hang next to the bandstand on their gigs read “The Big Band Ain’t Misbehavin’.” The band was started in 2000 by Jim Coffman, with a core of Kenwood High School alumni, two of whom – sax players Jack Sweely and Maurice Lebrun, both in their 80s – still play in the band. | Read more>> Read More

In our Winter 2018 hard copy version of the BJA newsletter, Bob Jacobson presented an overview of the 33 big bands in the metro Baltimore area (“Baltimore-Area BIG BANDS Abounding“). Today we begin profiling each ensemble, with our Big Band of the Week series. | Read more>> Read More