If you want to relive the '30s, '40s and '50s, grab your friends and head down to the Glass Pavilion in Levering this Sunday, April 11, at 4 p.m. to see The J Street Jumpers perform.
The group combines the classic swing and jump blues to form one of the most popular swing bands on the East Coast. The Jumpers have looked to the music of Count Basie, Buddy Johnson, Fat Domino and Dinah Washington to get inspiration to form their own brand of modern swing music.
The Jumpers base themselves out of the Washington, D.C. area, where they have become one of the hottest swing bands. The city's music community honored them in 2003 with the title of Best Big Band for the sixth year in a row at the Washington Area Music Association (WAMA) Wammie Awards. Other WAMA awards that they have received include Swing Recording and Best Jazz. In addition, The Washington Post named the Jumpers' CD Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby to their 1998 list of favorite local CDs.
In the early '90s, saxophonist Charlie Hubel founded the group, and since then they have performed in a wide variety of clubs, halls and ballrooms. They received the honor of playing for former President Bill Clinton and former First Lady Hillary Clinton at The White House's annual dinner for Governors of the States and Territories.
Other performances have included The Kennedy Center's Millenium Stage and the Inaugural Ball at the Natural History Museum for President George W. Bush.
The J Street Jumpers' own Web site boasts, "Their extensive repertoire keeps even the most demanding audience on the floor and begging for more. The infectious beat is enhanced by their showmanship and tremendous soloists."
Sunday's event is being sponsored by the Center for Social Concern. Tickets are $15 if ordered in advance; add $2 for each ticket purchased on the day of the performance. This is not a performance to miss, and seeing that ticket prices are bound to rise, grab your tickets fast.
For more information about this event, call (443) 287-9900. For more information about the J Street Jumpers, visit their official Web site at http://www.jstreetjumpers.com.
