Big band swing · Greeneville, Tennessee
Greeneville
Swing Band
Swinging sounds, timeless tunes
Who we are
Seventeen chairs, one groove, and charts older than most of us.
We are local musicians who play swing because it is the most fun you can have sitting down. High school students share stands with music teachers, retirees, and folks whose day jobs have nothing to do with music. Some of us have played together for more than ten years.
If swing is new to you, come to a show. Your toes will figure it out before you do — and we often run a short beginner dance lesson before the first set.
The music
What swing actually is
Swing is the strain of jazz that came up in the United States in the late 1920s and took over American popular music from the mid-1930s through 1946. Big bands, arranged sections, and soloists who step out and improvise over the chart. It is also the music the Lindy Hop was built on, which is why it still empties chairs and fills dance floors.
“Swing” doubles as a verb. When a band swings, the time has a lean to it — a pull that makes people move without being asked.
Basie. Ellington. Goodman. Miller. Calloway. Hampton. Shaw. The book we play from is theirs.
Our library runs from the standards everyone knows to charts you will only hear from a band that has been together long enough to play them well.
Bring us to your event
Dances
Valentine's dances, anniversary parties, community socials. Three sets, a full dance floor, and an optional beginner lesson up front.
Concerts & festivals
Outdoor concerts, downtown events, holiday openings. We scale to the space and bring our own stands and lighting.
Schools
Joint performances with school bands, plus sectionals and clinics for student players who want to hear it live.
Fundraisers
Suppers, benefits, and civic events. Tell us the cause and the budget and we will tell you what we can do.
Play with us or book us
We rehearse most Monday nights and we are always glad to hear from players — especially trombones. Event organizers, we book several months out.
Get in touch