Jazz Kings to celebrate 20th anniversary of Swing music — ‘Goody Goody!’


For its 20th anniversary season, Jesse Cloninger and the Emerald City Jazz Kings announced a complete year of big band swing! The Swing Era unofficially began at the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles on Aug. 21, 1935, when Benny Goodman and his band went for broke and wrapped up this final performance on a lackluster tour with an evening of their hottest "late night" tunes. The audience went wild! Coined “Swing,” the new sounds coming from bands of the era electrified audiences and began a resurgence of widespread popularity for larger and smaller jazz ensembles alike. This was the big band era, the era of demanding bandleaders, flashy soloists, swinging riffs, handsome crooners, and heartbreaking lady vocalists.

Spanning 12 years, The Swing Era produced such an iconic and massive volume of hits that it has remained one of the most loved and widely celebrated genres of jazz music today. In the Jazz Kings' “Year of Swing,” each of the three concert series’ will be dedicated to a four-year span of time. From each of these four-year blocks we will draw the greatest hits from the bands of the day as well as playing some of the most loved songs of the time. Focusing on bands and vocalists alike guarantees a rich blend of swinging material with more than enough to send everyone home happy.

In this first installment and examination of the Swing Era, "Goody Goody," the Emerald City Jazz Kings will focus on the years 1935-38 with hits from Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Dorsey, Count Basie, Chick Webb, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald and the Andrews Sisters.

The Jazz Kings’ “Goody Goody” performance will be Saturday, Oct. 24, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased by phone at 541-888-968-4086, online at www.eventcenter.org, or at the door.