Results for "Swing"

John Yao

Born: June 25, 1977

For almost twenty years, John Yao has been honing his talents as a trombonist, composer and arranger, and cementing his place on the New York City jazz scene. Yao’s lyrical soloing and expressive, round tone, combined with his relentless drive to push the boundaries of harmony and rhythm, have established him as a unique and forward-thinking jazz talent. Yao has earned wide acclaim. In April 2025 he was appointed to the 100th class of Guggenheim Fellows in the field of Music Composition. In 2023, Yao earned a place in both the Rising Star Trombone and Rising Star Big Band categories in the DownBeat Critics Poll.  Lucid Culture proclaims, “John Yao is one of New York’s elite trombonists,” and All About Jazz calls him “a strong compositional voice and effective band-leader able to use his 17-piece band to paint across a wide spectrum and infuse his complex writing with a thoughtful balance of audacity, structure, humor, and sonic might.”

Freddy Martin

Born: December 9, 1906

Freddy Martin (December 9, 1906 - September 30, 1983) was an American tenor saxophonist and bandleader best known for his smooth, danceable arrangements and his adaptations of classical melodies for modern swing music lovers. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Martin began his musical career as a saxophonist and formed his own band in the early 1930s. He gained national attention with his orchestra during the big band era, performing at prestigious hotel ballrooms and being featured on widely-heard radio broadcasts.

Martin's band was known for its sweet style, appealing to audiences who favoured melodic arrangements over the harder "hot" sounds that were also popular at the time. In 1941, he had a major hit with "Tonight We Love," a song based on Tchaikovsky’s "Piano Concerto No. 1 in B Flat." This piece helped define his orchestra's unique classical-pop-jazz fusion approach and naturally became his theme tune. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, Martin's band continued to tour and record and featured prominent vocalists such as Clyde Rogers and Merv Griffin.

The Modernaires

Active since: 1934

Formed in the mid-1930s, the Modernaires began as a male vocal quartet known for their tight harmonies and polished sound, initially gaining attention through radio broadcasts and studio work. Their big break came in 1941 when they joined forces with bandleader Glenn Miller, adding Paula Kelly as the female lead and completing the signature lineup. With Miller, the group became a cornerstone of the swing era, contributing to classics like “Chattanooga Choo Choo” and “Juke Box Saturday Night.” Their smooth blend and rhythmic precision helped redefine vocal jazz, bridging the gap between pop sensibility and jazz sophistication in an era dominated by big bands.

Katrina Van Humbeck

Born: December 17, 1967

Katrina Van Humbeck is a vocalist, composer, piano player, and educator based in Winnipeg, MB. She creates her own unique brand of Jazz Fusion, with a dose of Inspiration. Her music has earned her nominations with the GMA Canada (Gospel Music Awards 2022- Jazz Artist of The Year), and with the WCMA (Western Canadian Music Awards 2020- Spiritual Artist of The Year).

Katrina has four studio recorded albums of original songs to her credit: Only Love; Stronger Still; her sophomore album, Doing A New Thing; and her debut album, Blue & Beyond; all of which reflect influences of the jazz greats and her background in various musical genres.  Katrina's recent release,‘Only Love,’  is a collection of classic, straight-ahead jazz standards and original compositions.   

Stephen Lands

Born: July 28, 1987

Hailing from the city of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Steve has been swaying stages, clubs, bars, Museums, Houses-of-worship, and studios the world over for almost 2 decades now. He’s got the kind of skill that can only be gained from both a truly curious mind and from working with great artists from all walks of life! From shows and tours with R&B/Soul/Gospel grammy-winner Pj Morton, holding down a residency in Las Vegas playing trumpet for the chart-topping long-running band Maroon 5, doing festivals with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, and tours through Europe with Swiss pianist and composer  Florian Favre, to studio sessions with the Black Keys, jamming in DC with Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters, playing in big bands with Ellis, Jason, Branford, and Delfeayo Marsalis, and doing a tribute to David Bowie with Arcade Fire! Courage and care are his motivation for Music and he’s got more than enough of both to give you a sonic fantasy.

Lua Hadar

Born: June 21

Lua Hadar is a multi-lingual vocalist, emcee, comedienne, songwriter, independent producer and arts educator. Her signature “jazz without borders” brings songs from different styles and languages into the jazz idiom. She peppers her cosmopolitan jazz with funny stories, connecting the global dots between her cultural and theatrical influences and her songs. Lua has charmed audiences at venues and international festivals from San Francisco to Hollywood to New York to Paris to Italy to Bangkok.

Independently produced by her own New Performance Group, Lua has released three albums with her band Twist, as well as a live concert film, Like A Bridge. Her first original music video, Our Common Humanity, premiered at the 2018 International Arts Festival in San Francisco. She released her second original music video, Saudade, in May 2020. Lua’s recordings appear on iTunes, Youtube, Google Play, Pandora, Spotify, Amazon, and most digital services.

Stefan Sirbu

Strasbourg-based pianist and composer, Moldovan-born Stefan Sirbu has made both sides of the Rhine and the Atlantic his creative lab. Classically-trained since the age of 6 and composing since the age of 10, Stefan Sirbu has been drawing inspiration from jazz greats and contemporary artists, hip-hop, Latin-American and European classical music alike.

Dedicated to the art form, while pursuing a career in law, he has been sharing his music with audiences internationally for over twenty years. His compositions have been broadcasted on various radio stations worldwide such as Swiss Radio Jazz, France Musique, Radio România Cultural, Canarias Radio and others.

Jack Hylton

Born: July 2, 1892

Jack Hylton was a British pianist, bandleader, composer and impresario who played a key role in the development of popular dance music in the early 20th century. Born in Great Lever, Lancashire, on July 2, 1892, he began his career as a pianist and singer in his father's pub before working as a musical director for theater productions during World War I. In the 1920s and 1930s, Hylton's orchestra gained international recognition, recording extensively and touring across Europe. Hylton also introduced jazz and blues influences into British dance music, becoming known as the "British King of Jazz" and helping to popularize the genres in the UK

Sammy Kaye

Born: March 13, 1910

Sammy Kaye (1910 - 1987) was an American bandleader and songwriter best known for his tagline "Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye." Born in Lakewood, Ohio, Kaye studied at Ohio University before forming his own orchestra in the 1930s. His band became widely successful, recording numerous hits, most notably "Swing and Sway" in 1937 and "Daddy" in 1941. Kaye's band's signature style leaned more towards more sweet, catchy dance tunes, opposed to some of the louder, brassier and more solo-based bands of the era. He was also known for audience participation gimmicks, such as "So You Want to Lead a Band," where guests conducted his orchestra

Johnny Long (2)

Born: September 12, 1914

Johnny Long (1914–1972) was an American bandleader and violinist known for his sweet dance band style during the big band era. Born in Newell, North Carolina, he formed his own orchestra while attending Duke University, gaining popularity in the 1930s and 1940s. His band was distinguished by its smooth sound and emphasis on melody, producing hits like In a Shanty In Old Shanty Town, which became his signature song. Long’s group remained active for several decades, entertaining audiences with a mix of swing and traditional pop before his retirement.