The Roy Scott Big Band is a 17-piece band, comprised of men from Sharon, MA and many other towns. They all have other jobs, but rehearse every Thursday evening throughout the year – rain, snow, cold, and summer heat. – because they love playing music. http://www.sharonbands.org/
The repertoire of the Roy Scott Big Band covers over 60 years of great music from the original classics of the Swing Era to the current hits of the Swing Revival. Their summer concerts featured a wide range of favorites – swing, jazz, rock, pop, “cool” jazz, funk, bebop, blues, and Latin. This was the 4th or 5th time they’ve played the Natick Common.
Steve Bell, music Director of the Roy Scott Big Band, promised us something old and something brand new – their ‘yellow buttercup’ shirts made especially for this hot summer season.
They began with Soulful Strut, then set the atmosphere with a tune done By Dick Van Dyke, Put On a Happy Face. Sonny & Cher’s The Beat Goes On featured sax and trumpet solos by Bill Dube and Mike Benjamin. A Michael Jackson tune.
Anne Marie Freitas
Steve introduced vocalist Anne Marie Frietas with Sway With Me, When I Fall in Love, Somewhere Over The Rainbow. Apologies for the angle of the video – there was no way to get over the gate surrounding the bandstand.
The Sax section was featured with Bill Bailey.
We met the new Manager of Radio Station WICN, Tom Lucci. Tom plays tenor and baritone sax (on left) with the Roy Scott Big Band. WICN is the only station left in our area that plays Great Jazz, and we were thrilled to learn they dropped the HD so we can listen again in the Greater Worcester, MA area. Anywhere else in the world, you can hear it at www.wicn.org.
The Roy Scott Big Band played a beautiful Glenn Miller Moonlight Serenade, September by Earth, Wind and Fire; The Best of Sly and The Family Stone – a medley of 70’a and 80’s music. There was a fine tenor sax solo on Someday Last summer.
This was just a part of this fine summer evening with Roy Scott’s Big Band at Natick’s Summer Concerts on the Common, put on by the Natick Parks and Recreation Department. We look forward to hearing the band again next year.
The whole series has been recorded by Natick Pegasus and played on local Public Access Channels. Maybe they will ‘loan’ us a tune from their video?
An extension of Dave’s small bands, The Dave Whitney fourteen-piece orchestra was formed in 1989. The focus of this band is playing and preserving the classic sounds of the big band era. They play yearly dates at Canobie Lake Park and Southgate at Shrewsbury and are currently doing semi-regular dates at Chianti’s in Beverly.
The orchestra is comfortable playing for the listener and is equally at ease playing for dancers. Besides saluting the big name bands such as Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, and Harry James, the Whitney Orchestra also plays the music of other fine bands such as Tony Pastor, Vaughn Monroe, Frankie Carle, Scat Davis and Red Nichols.
The Dave Whitney Orchestra has entertained for numerous swing dance parties and has performed at Ryles, the Sherborn Inn, Rockingham Ballroom, Bridgwaye Inn, and bi-monthly at Angelica’s in Middleton, MA. Future projects include a compact disc.
LINEUP
Leader,Trumpet/Cornet and Vocals – Dave Whitney
Vocals and Trumpet- Christine Fawson.
Trumpets- Joe Musumeci, Jeff Hughes, Rich Given.
Trombones- Scott Hills, Mike Strauss, John Kafalas.
Saxes- Art Bakopolus, Bob Drukman, Ted Casher, Blair Bettencourt and Kathleen Howland.
Piano- Steve Dale, Bass-Dave LeBleu, Drums-Reid Jorgensen.
Also appearing occasionally are John Clark,reeds, Dan Gabel,trombone and Roy D’Innocenzo, guitar, a charter member of Dave’s first band in 1971.
Christine Fawson
Dave Whitney
Dave Whitney
Well known in New England for his work with the Yankee Rhythm Kings, White Heat Swing Orchestra, and Chris Powers Orchestra, Dave was influenced by Louis Armstrong, Bix Beiderbecke, Bobby Hackett and many other great trumpeters of the pre-bop era. Dave has been called “Premier early style trumpeter” of this area” and “Dean of swing trumpet”. As a vocalist he was influenced by Armstrong, Prima, Tony Pastor et al, and he is also adept at smoother vocals a la Sinatra, Eddy Howard, and Perry Como.
Christine Fawson
As a vocalist and trumpet player, Christine Fawson has always loved performing classic jazz standards from the American Songbook. She has been a member of Syncopation and The Jazz Diva’s, and the R&B band Beantown. Christine has also been a solo artist at festivals and concerts around the world. She is a member of the brass faculty at Berklee College of Music.
The first Dave Whitney Orchestra CD, “Swingin’ at the WunderBar” will be out shortly.
Contact: (978) 667-5524
Dan Gabel and the Abletones Big Band with Elise Roth vocals
The Abletones Big Band debut at The Imperial Ballroom in Mendon MA (formerly Myriad, formerly Nipmuc) was a complete success. The floor was filled with jubilant ballroom dancers, many were Abletones’ fans from SAC in Shrewsbury. There was a wide demographic of ages enjoying the return of a real Big Band at Dinner and Dancing at the Imperial Ballroom.
The Big Band played a variety of dances, swing, foxtrot, rhumba, cha cha. The evening began with a cocktail hour at 6pm; people arrived for a 4-course dinner between 7 and 8pm. $39.95 for dinner and dance, $10 for dancing-only at 8pm.
A smaller combo of the Abeltones played for the diners. What Is This Thing Called Love, Avalon, Let’s Do It.
Ross Petot piano, Bill Doyle guitar, Walther Grieneder bass, Jim Gancarz drums (hidden), Dan Gabel trombone
8pm Dan Gabel and the Abletones Big Band appeared in full force with Whispering, Woodchopper’s Ball, String of Pearls, Dan’s Abletones Jive, he wrote to introduce members of the band:
Ross Petot – piano Greg Blair – baritone sax
Bill Doyle – rhythm guitar/banjo Doug Yancey – tenor sax
Walther Grieneder – Bass Richard Garcia – tenor Sax
Jim Gancarz – drums Josh Plotner – alto sax
Mike Piepman – lead trumpet Tyler Birchfield – alto sax
Adam Mejaour – trumpet Craig Robbins – trombone
Dan Fleury -trumpet Joe Burke – trombone
Kai Sandoval – trumpet Leslie Havens – bass trombone
Elise Roth – vocal Dan Gabel leader – trombone
Bei Mir Bis Du Schoen was one of the many really hot numbers; Moon River – a waltz, Vocalist Elise Roth connects with the mood of a song and gives it her own sound – Nat King Cole’s 1942 hit, L-O-V-E. Lead trumpeter Mike Peipman was featured in Hot-Cha Cha Cha . Stan Kenton and Boots Mussulli established bebop in the Milford area. In their memory, the band played a lovely earlier version of Kenton’s Lullaby of Broadway.
The dance floor was in front of the band, and continuously filled with fancy ballroom dancers, (except for the very fast tunes like Strutting With Some Barbecue).
Dan and Elise sang duet on How About You from a Judy Garland-Mickey Rooney movie. From Sunrise Serenade, a Glenn Miller tune, I Know Why And So Do You. In honor of all servicemen, past and present, and also the two firefighters who died last week in the Back Bay fire – they played a powerfully intense American Patrol.
Glen Miller’s In The Mood topped the charts in 1939 in the U.S. and one year later was featured in the movie Sun Valley Serenade. Dan and Elise combined for The Trolley Song that was sung by Vaughn Monroe and Marilyn Duke in 1944. Dan is a font of information on music from the 20-50’s. He just completed his Masters with a biography of Vaughn Monroe, who wrote the lyrics to their next tune, My Devotion.
Elise Roth and saxophones
Elise sang Tonight, reminiscent of West Side Story. Bennie Moten was a pianist/bandleader who was at the center of the Kansas City jazz scene of the 1920s and 30s. Dan Gable and the Abletones are introducing new generations to the fabulous swing music like Moten Swing.
The ‘boss’, Kevin Meehan, requested a Sinatra tune, so they added Witchcraft, sung by Dan Gabel. We had the good fortune of sharing another waltz, Dreamy Old New England Moon; with George the dance instructor at SAC. He provides dance lessons for many big bands in this area.
Blue Tango, Yes Indeed, Almost Like Being in Love, Mack the Knife, Moonlight Serenade. Marvelous! They closed with the Benny Goodman/Gene Krupa classic at New York’s Carnegie Hall, Sing Sing Sing. It was an extraordinary evening, and we hope to see more of Dan Gabel and the Abletones Big Band at the Imperial Ballroom.
You may dance to the Abletones on the first Friday of every month at SAC, The Scandinavian Athletic Club, 438 Lake St, Shrewsbury, MA 01545, (508) 757-3948. George starts dance lessons at 7:15pm, the band starts at 8pm. Next one is April 5th – hope you can make it!
Dan Gabel and The Abeltones Big Band at The Willows, July 3, 2013
The Willows was opened in Westborough in 1987 by Danny and Dottie Salmon, who wanted to create a setting where active seniors could live life independently yet have the convenience and security of a familial, supportive atmosphere. Judging by the atmosphere here on the patio on July 3rd 2013 the Salmon Family has succeeded admirably.
The residents, their family and friends, were here early, in high spirits, under umbrellas for protection from this fine sunny day. They were celebrating an early 4th of July by singing many of our Patriotic songs, Yankee Doodle Dandy, It’s a Grand Old Flag, while waiting to hear Dan Gabel and the Abeltones Big Band. Dan even invited them to sing up on the stage, but they were too modest.
They heard the High Society Orchestra here last year, and were eager to hear more of their treasured Big Band Music, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Glenn Miller, Les Brown. The Abletones were happy to oblige.
They began with a brief Whispering, checking out the sound system, then moved on to a rousing American Patrol, then Artie Shaw’s version of Cole Porter’s Begin The Beguine with John Clark featured on clarinet. For Independence Day, they played the Jerry Gray arrangement of Les Brown’s first theme song, Leap Frog.
Dan uses Abletones’ Jive to introduce each member of this 17-piece band:
Four trumpets (one hidden) and Ross Petot piano
Trumpets: Kai Sandoval, Dan Fleury, Adam Mejaour, Don Clough
Five Saxophones, two tenor, two alto, one baritone
Saxes: Mike Caudill , John Clark, Lou Stamos, Emily Pecoraro, Tyler Birchfield
Four trombones, including leader Dan Gabel
Trombones: Dan Gabel, Larry Meade, Joe Burke , Quinn Carson
Also: Ross Petot piano, Bill Doyle guitar, Ken Steiner string bass, and Steve Taddeo on a 1939 Slingerland drum set.
They played a melody written by Isham Jones in 1924, arranged by Dan, calling on his 1940’s best crooner voice on It Had To Be You.
My Old New Hampshire Home was a nice waltz for their lead trumpet player from New Hampshire. It was the #1 song in the USA in 1899. Pianist Ross Petot followed the original score at the beginning and end.
There was a request for some Glenn Miller. Dan toured with the Glenn Miller Band for a year, and missed his New England. That gave him the idea for a CD called Homesick for New England. With assistance from vocalist Amanda Carr, the CD will be released July 24th at Sculler’s Jazz Club.
Pennsylvania 6-5000 was the phone number for the Café Rouge in Pennsylvania. It was renowned for the performances by multiple artists including The Glenn Miller Orchestra. Glenn Miller returned to Hotel Pennsylvania frequently, not just to play in the Café Rouge, but to stay there. The Abletones were boosted by the audience’s whole-hearted response: “Pennsylvania 6 – 5 – Oh Oh Oh!!!”
With Gabel on trombone, the band played the Tommy Dorsey original 1935 arrangement of I’m Getting Sentimental Over You – twice. Dan is a perfectionist – they’ll be working on it again until they get it perfect. Do you think this is easy?
Everyone chimed in on vocal for a 1941 Vaughn Monroe old 78, Take It Jackson. That was easy – the only lyrics are repetitions of “Take it, Jackson”. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFZIw4iJQWM We’ll be hearing more about him. The Vaughn Monroe Appreciation Society has asked Dan to write his biography.
Dan Gabel and Bill Doyle in Dixieland Band
A band-within-a-band was created especially for this Fourth of July Holiday – 7 pieces, with a Dixieland influence. Dan Gabel trombone, Bill Doyle on banjo, Mike Caudill tenor sax, John Clark clarinet, Ken Steiner string bass, Steve Taddeo drums, a rousing Battle Hymn of the Republic.
Dixieland Band plays Battle Hymn of The Republic
Steve Taddeo and John Clark were featured for the Finale on the 1938 Benny Goodman/Gene Krupa Carnegie Hall Sing, Sing, Sing, with Clark taking a ten-minute BG solo to Taddeo’s electrifying tom tom drumming.
John Clark clarinet, duet with Steve Taddeo Drums on Sing, Sing, Sing
Steve Taddeo resurrects Gene Krupa on Sing, Sing, Sing, duet with John Clark
Taddeo took his Krupa walk-around, drumming on the cymbal and anything else he could find amidst the residents, without losing a beat. The Seniors loved it! It was a fantastic Finale for Dan Gabel and The Abeltones Big Band at The Willows in Westborough.
The Salmons’ dedication to quality and excellence at The Willows is second to none. Part of it is featuring many local bands for their residents’ enjoyment on Wednesdays at 7:15pm – Public invited. We’ll try to get the schedule and add it to our calendar.
Dan Gabel and the Abletones have an extensive schedule, including first Fridays at nearby Indian Meadows. Check it out at www.theabletones.com.
Note: The Jazz at Sunset Series in Worcester has been replaced by Swing at Sunset, thanks to The Big Band Preservation Society, WICN, and The Vets in Westborough.
The Abletones with vocalist Amanda Carr opened it this year on June 28th, as they did last year at the Ecotrium: http://www.nejazz.com/oldsite/DanGabel15Jun12.htm.
