These are the musicians who helped invent the Swing Era!

    There are probably more good musicians in the city of Los Angeles than any other city in the world. And because there are so many players available, there is also a proliferation of musical aggregations from trios to full symphony orchestras. They play anywhere and everywhere they can throughout the city. And many musicians play in more than one band. As a result there are very few bands that can boast a regular lineup.

    What makes The Big Band Alumni, under the direction of ace percussionist, Johnny Vana, so much better than all the rest? Without demeaning any of the other “big bands” playing around the Los Angeles area, it is only honest to point out that some are indeed better than others. If you want to know why The Big Band Alumni is better than the rest its simply because these musicians play together all the time, they enjoy and respect each other’s talents and they have a good time together.

    One of the things that make The Big Band Alumni different is their musical attitude. Almost all the “big bands” use musicians who do not play consistently with any one particular group. That means that most of today's swing bands are really just pickup groups regardless of the name under which they appear. One night they may be the Harry James Orchestra and the next night the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, and so on, ad infinitum. Most of the players in The Big Band Alumni have been together for more than five years and many of them played together in the big bands for years before that. Okay, we admit it, over the years we’ve had to replace a few musicians; those whose aging made it impossible for them to continue. Those who survive are committed to staying together and playing swing music the way it was meant to be played.

    There is a closeness among these musicians that goes beyond the love of the music they play. There is a camaraderie which alone sets The Big Band Alumni apart from other bands. And what’s more, there is never a shortage of players who want to fill in for a regular in an emergency, or take the place of one who retires, because the best musicians always want to play with the best band.

    The enthusiasm that emanates from the bandstand is apparent to the least knowledgeable listener. Virtually every member of The Alumni is a graduate of one or more of the great “name bands” of the swinging era. And they were stars with the most famous bands of the swinging years. In jazz terms - this band “cooks.” It is one thing for a band to play swing music, but it is quite another thing for a band to truly swing.

    Certainly there are other “big bands” around today, almost all comprised of comparative youngsters. Yes, they play the notes, but what they don’t have is the soul, the heart, the passion, that comes across the bandstand when The Big Band Alumni plays...maybe because this is their music. They were part of its birth, growth, and refinement; they lived it and loved it, and nurtured it until it is as much a part of them as breathing.

    Remember when you were a teen-ager headed for your first big band swing dance or concert. Maybe you were cutting class to catch Harry James or Benny Goodman at the big downtown movie theater the one with vaudeville acts. You and your friends have learned the steps for whatever part of the country you hail from, east or west coast. You are all charged by the rhythms and you can’t sit still. You need to get out and “cut a rug: or “chop some wood” to Woody Herman’s Woodchoppers Ball.  

    By now, you may have listened to some of the new swing bands trying to sound like the big bands of the 1940s. Well, admittedly some of them are good enough to play the notes, but are all missing something.