We are excited to tell you that the Mint Julep Jazz Band was voted the best musical artist/band in the 2013 Best of Durham Awards, sponsored by Durham Magazine! We are supremely surprised and grateful for the love and send out immense thank yous to everyone who voted for us.
We named our first album after this town to show how much we love Durham, and we are getting the love back from you tenfold. 😀
Thank you, Durham!
As part of Yehoodi’s ILHC broadcast, they put together this entertaining and concise explanation of Lindy Hop for the masses who may not know exactly what that entails – the background track is the Mint Julep Jazz Band’s “Miami Boulevard,” off our new album “Durham on Saturday Night” – woot!
We’d like to send a huge thank you out to Seattle dancer Jennifer Lee for inviting us to be the soundtrack for her short film, “One Girl and Two Boys,” which took first prize at the 2013 Jazz Dance Film Fest! Check out the video below and enjoy the great dancing, music, and story!
Jazz writer and archivist Michael Steinman, author of the Jazz Lives blog, has written a great review of the Mint Julep Jazz Band’s “Durham on Saturday Night!”
“The MJJB is a small hot group — well-versed in playing for dancers, so they set swinging tempos and stick to them. Their ensemble work is beautifully precise without being stiff, and they really understand the subtle mysteries of swing rhythm…one of their main inspirations is youthful Ella Fitzgerald and the small group out of Chick Webb’s band — The Savoy Eight — and they evoke that sound perfectly without turning out pale note-for-note copies of the records. I heard evocations of Sandy Williams and Sidney Bechet, but also Al Grey and Howard McGhee.”
“Laura’s got her own sweet style with a serious rhythmic underpinning…her rich voice reminded me of young Ella — that hopeful, wistful, asking-for-love quality — but she can turn corners at a fast tempo, as she proves on the CD’s closer, the band’s romping version of Lil Armstrong’s HARLEM ON SATURDAY NIGHT.”
To read more, click here to view the post.
We’re back for another delicious gig at Durham’s G2B Gastro Pub! Bring your appetite and/or your dance shoes for a lovely evening of jazz and swing. 🙂
The show is free, but we recommend making a reservation if you would like to eat or have a seat, because the tables usually fill up before we arrive – please specify that you would like to be seated in the jazz lounge.
G2B Gastro Pub
3211 Shannon Road
Durham, NC
See you there! Bring a friend!
Richard Springs of A Captured Image Photography took these wonderful photos of the band and dancers at the Mint Julep Jazz Band performance at The Streets at Southpoint on June 8, 2013 – click here for the full set.
Mint Julep Jazz Band bandleaders Lucian Cobb and Laura Windley are featured in the June, 2013 episode of Yehoodi’s Hey Mister Jesse podcast! The show features an interview with Lucian and Laura and clips from several of the songs off the Mint Julep Jazz Band’s new release, “Durham on Saturday Night.” Click here to listen to the show.
For those not familiar with the Hey Mister Jesse podcast, “DJ Jesse Miner will serve up a platter of swingin’ music that matters to dancers. Check out the show every month to hear music, interviews, listener feedback and news about the music swing dancers love.”
In addition to the feature, it’s a great podcast, full of amazing jazz artists (new and old) and a format that invites listeners to engage in and be a part of the show. Highly recommended if you are a fan of trad jazz, swing, and blues and are looking for new listening material.
We are excited to be performing at the Music on Main Concert Series at The Streets at Southpoint on June 8, 2013. This free concert series is open to the public and occurs in the large open space with the fountain in front of Southpoint Cinemas.
Cinema Circle, in front of AMC Southpoint 17
8030 Renaissance Parkway
Durham, NC
6:00 p.m. to 8:45 p.m.
We’ll see you there!
***RAIN PLAN*** If it rains, the show will move from the outdoor stage to inside the mall.
We’re kicking off June with our #1 Kickstarter backer, the Triangle Swing Dance Society! Join us at the Murphey School this Saturday, June 1, 2013 for our first swing dance of the summer, with a great venue and a great floor.
Murphey School
3717 Murphy School Rd
Durham, NC
7:00 p.m. beginner east coast swing lesson
Dance from 8:00-11:00 p.m. with the live music from the Mint Julep Jazz Band!
Members/Students $8
Non-members $12
For more information about the Triangle Swing Dance Society, visit their website at http://www.triangleswingdance.org.
If you missed the interview with Laura Windley and Lucian Cobb on WXDU from May 19, 2013, talking with Divaville Lounge host Sarah Ovenall about the band, the making of “Durham on Saturday Night,” and background on tracks from the album, you can listen to the hour-long broadcast (interview and tracks from the album) by clicking here. Enjoy!
Mint Julep Jazz Band 