Upcoming Swingin' Tuesdays thru March 2011

We've got lots of bands booked for the next 2 months at the Shrunken Head!  We've been having loads of fun dancing every week and seeing people's mad skills getting ... madder... every week!  The bands keep telling us how much fun it is to play a gig where they are truly appreciated and not just background music!  Thanks to everyone who's been swinging out every Tuesday!

Here's the lineup for the next 2 months of DJs and Bands.  The DJ listed is also the dance instructor for that week.

• 2/1/2011    John Vermeullen   (jazz and big band standards) plus DJ Aleks
• 2/8/2011    The X Rockers  (rockabilly swing) plus  DJ Mandy
• 2/15/2011    Makeshifts  (rockabilly, and ELVIS!!!  oh ELVIS!!!)  plus  DJ Erwin
• 2/22/2011    Silky Ray 4 tet   (jump blues)  plus DJ Mark
• 3/1/2011    Jon Coleman (jazz standards, Rat Pack)   - plus DJ Aleks
• 3/8/2011    MARDI GRAS PARTY with Chief Johnny Lonesome  (New Orleans piano blues a la Dr. John)  plus DJ Mandy
• 3/15/2011    Don Norman Band (swingy blues)  plus DJ Erwin
• 3/22/2011    School Night Jump with Jacob Reed  (jazz standards) plus DJ Mark

Be sure to mark March 8th on your calendar - we're having a Mardi Gras party!  Chief Johnny is bringing his umpteenth Mardi Gras celebration to US!  It will be a special New Orleans themed evening, with special menu items and some audience participation surprises! 

Go to our website for more info about Swingin' Tuesdays at The Shrunken Head!

Jazz Academy Spring Semester 2011

SwingColumbus is a community partner for the Jazz Arts Group's Jazz Academy.  They offer all kinds of awesome jazz classes, workshops, and seminars for people of all ages and experience levels.   We think they're a fantastic organization that's helping keep jazz alive and relevant!

The Jazz Academy is taking registrations now for Spring Semester and if you are a member of SwingColumbus you can get discounted tuition!  Contact the Jazz Academy for more information.  This week is the last week to register before the deadline for minimum enrollment to be met.  Classes that don't get enough students will be canceled.

Here's the Spring lineup:

The Jazz Arts Group of Columbus offers a stellar line-up of music making opportunities at the Jazz Academy to engage all ages and interests including clinics and workshops with Grammy-nominated jazz trumpeter-composer Dave Douglas, blues guitarist Chris Thomas King, the Columbus Music Co-op and more.

Nationally acclaimed music educator Bradley Sowash offers piano basics in Creative Chords II and group piano lessons in Creative Chords IV. If guitar is more your style,Tim Cummiskey gives you the opportunity to advance your guitar skills with Intermediate to Advanced Guitar Concepts and Chords & Scales to Progressions. Led by Rachel Sepulveda, Vocal Ensemble explores the rewarding journey of singing in harmony with friends in a joyful and supportive environment. Central City Recording's Live Recording Session teaches you the basics – from running Pro Tools™ to setting up a live recording session – then applies what you've learned by setting up a live recording session for the Vocal Ensemble class at the Jazz Academy. And Jumpin' JaKs (Jazz & Kids) will give preschoolers, ages 3-5, the opportunity to explore American music in all of its forms.

Other course offerings include Rock Ensemble with Dennis Hodges, All Ears – Using Your Ears in Drum Set Performance with Cedric Easton and Ryan Jewell, Digital Composition & Recording with James Allison and Practical Music Theory with Stan Smith. Spring session will also include workshops as part of our "Cool School" workshop series.

SwingColumbus 2010, the Year in Review

2010 has been a big year for SwingColumbus!  We've helped grow our scene locally and regionally, our performance team reached new heights, and we made our major events bigger and better!  Below are just some of the milestones we reached this year:

The Local Scene

• Completed our first full year of our weekly lesson series Swingology
• Started the weekly Swingin' Tuesdays at the Shrunken Head (now 6 months strong!)
• Helped students at Otterbein University start a swing dance club
• Hosted a swing summit of organizers from scenes in Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan
• Expanded the SwingColumbus Executive Board from 5 to 7 members to encompass the added roles that come with expanding our event and lesson offerings
• Raised money and collected 42 pounds of food for the Mid Ohio Food Bank at our annual holiday party

Major Events

• CBUS Lindy and Blues Exchange - we delivered another solid exchange (our 5th!), slightly bigger than past years, with a fabulous Saturday afternoon cookout
• Rocktober - expanded to about 250 registrants, added new competitions, added a third lessons track, and moved to a hotel setting!

Team SwingColumbus

• Added aerials to our repertoire for the first time!
• 2nd Place at Dayton Swing Smackdown (darn you Hoosier Hot Shots!)
• Competed against teams from the US, Sweden, France, and Canada at the International Lindy Hop Championships in Washington, DC  Watch Video
• 1st Place at Swing, IN in Indianapolis 
• Performed for Ohio Dance at the Ohio Statehouse, Honor Flight Columbus, OSU Arts Initiative, Central Ohio Hot Jazz Society, Comfest, and the Ohio Arts Council

Thanks to everyone who made 2010 so great!  We're scheming to make 2011 even better!