06/11/2011

Madison Square Garden

Why Big Band?

Q: Why Big Band?
I love Dean Martin. I study Frank Sinatra and just watched Tony Bennett sing his heart out in a Nashville performing arts theater. I don't know that it would be Christmas for me without listening to the croon of Bing Crosby. Currently, Michael Buble is carrying the torch of these masters of the American Songbook, but he comes through our area every two years to a 10,000 seat arena. I am certainly none of these songbirds but I want to dress up at the holidays. I want to hear "Let it Snow" and "Winter Wonderland" with a horn section like I remember from when I was unwrapping Star Wars toys - to feel some of those Christmas songs rebroadcast with a twist. Nobody has phasing like Frank and very few have the swagger of Dean but let's not go for imitation, let's enjoy those songs anew. My mom's favorite Christmas song was "Marshmallow World"... I want to sing that song again.

Q: What can people expect from the show?
This year's up-tempo, dynamic holiday set will include well known Christmas songs, originals from some of my favorite Nashville writers and requested selections from fans. The shows will include Broadway quality staging and lighting, plenty of audience interaction, and a multitude of holiday surprises!

Q: How did you come up with the name, Big Band Experience?
I'm not trying to give people Frank or Dean, I'm trying to give people a feeling, an experience... and thus the name.

Q: A little history?
The "Band" features some of the best musicians I could find... guys who've played with Jimmy Dorsey and the Temptations, who are Music Educators of the year and are part of jazz faculty at universities, who have played with such luminaries as Aretha Franklin and Johnny Mathis.

Q: Tell us more about the charity.
I wanted to find a charity in each community that meant something to me and though I need to pay the instrumentalists, rent theaters, etc., I wanted to give the rest away... to raise enough money to really make a difference.

Q: Why now?
I read that the Big Band style originally came to popularity and offered hope at a time when we were coming out of the Depression, at a time when we were at war... and it isn't that much different today. It's the magic that we still love. I'm not trying to bring back the "old days" most of us might not remember... but to honor the memories of all of those for whom this music IS Christmas!