19-Piece Compaq Big Band w/ Vocalist Avina Gedler at Swing City!

*** SWING DANCING IS BACK!!! *** Join us when the Compaq Big Band returns to New England’s longest running - and in our opinion *THE BEST* - public swing dance in the region, Swing City! The date is Saturday October 5th. Same spacious dance floor in the West Cambridge Youth Center located at 680 Huron Avenue in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Our last gig there was February 29, 2020 – just days before the Covid lockdown, and we are beyond pumped to be one of the first bands invited to return.

The band plays 9:00pm-12:00am. *FREE* Charleston workshop 6:30pm-8:00pm. Group-friendly beginner swing dance lesson 8:00pm-9:00pm (no admittance to lesson after 8:15pm, please) included in admission to the dance – both with great instructors! Come early and stay all evening, or just drop by later for the last couple of sets if you’d like. More info at www.swingcityboston.com.

Cover just $20pp! Cash Only, please.

Plenty of free parking, on street or in the small lot across the road. Situated on the northwestern side of Cambridge, only 3.5 miles from the Alewife ‘T’ station - easy access via Route 2 from points north, south, and west of Boston.

Swing City is famous for being inclusive, welcoming singles, couples, collegiate swing dance club members, and meetup groups. Dancers of all ages and experience levels have flocked to SC for decades, and you’ll always find great partners, from novice to expert. Most importantly, just plain nice people. And, SC’s always been faithful to their rich tradition of booking terrific swing bands - from New England and beyond.

Casual clothing with proper shoes for the dance floor are fine. Vintage attire is totally optional. Wear what’s comfy for you.

Especially if you’re new to swing dancing – or even just want to take it on a short ‘test drive’ - Swing City is *THE* iconic dance to environment to dip your toe in the water.

Out in front of the band on stage that evening we’ll have the latest addition to our rotation of incredible regional jazz vocalists, the ultra-talented Aviana Gedler - a rising jazz star in Boston making her Massachusetts debut with us! You’ll love swingin’ to her channelin’ of Ella Fitzgerald, Natalie Cole, Peggy Lee, Tierney Sutton, and more. Plus, we'll do some very cool swing instrumentals.

Aviana’s a jazz singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, with an unwavering passion for music and performance artistry. She placed 2nd in the 2024 Ella Fitzgerald Jazz Vocal Competition and has showcased her talent in many performances across the Midwest, including the Iowa City Jazz Festival and the ‘Jazz in July’ concert series in Des Moines, Iowa. In 2022, she earned her Associate of Applied Arts degree from the School for Music Vocations in Creston, Iowa, and received the 2021 and 2022 Downbeat Magazine awards for ‘Best Vocal Jazz Soloist’ in the community college division. Aviana currently studies at the New England Conservatory in Boston, Massachusetts with Dominique Eade and Ran Blake, where she enjoys collaborating with other musicians and performing in the New England area.

Since our first appearance at the 'old' Swing City in the 1990s (the West Cambridge VFW at the same street address, with the rocket ship out front...) our sets will be *100% DANCEABLE SWING* – mostly medium, some a little slower, some a little faster. But, no ballroom, Latin, oldies, rock, or pop mixed in.

Those great sets of swing will, of course, contain several original arrangements of compositions from the Golden Age of big bands that anchor the evening, but we’ll enhance the dance as only the Compaq Big Band can by mixing in some more modern - and more hip - arrangements of the Great American Songbook and much more! It all adds up to approachable treatments of swingin' tunes you all know.

Another hallmark of our swing dance performances an organized, no-nonsense approach to minimizing the time between tunes. Also note that we’re an authentic, 19-piece big band: 14 horns + 4 rhythm + vocalist.

Dancers also appreciate that on every one of our gigs we utilize our own professional, comprehensive, state-of-the-art traveling sound system, set up and operated from start to finish of the event by our very experienced, full-time engineer. That means you’ll hear Aviana, the instrumental soloists, and the entire ensemble, very clearly.

All of this is presented with the band’s passion for production excellence unmatched by other regional big bands.

Check out www.compaqbigband.com and https://avigedler.wixsite.com/aviana. 'Like' the CBB, ‘Aviana Gedler’, and 'Swing City' on Facebook. Follow @avianagedler on Instagram.

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