Blog Archives
That New Old Sound Update
In December of 2016 we announced that a Mint Julep Jazz Band song would be a part of a compilation album called That New Old Sound, organized by our friend and bandleader Glenn Crytzer, where 100% of the proceeds would go to the American Civil Liberties Union. As of this July 4, 2017, the album has raised over $6,000 for the ACLU! If you haven’t already, pick up a copy of this great album, with 17 tracks from musicians all over the United States playing traditional jazz and swing music, and celebrate your right to listen and our right to perform this wonderful music.
All Balboa Weekend 2017
Photograph from ABW 2015, courtesy of @bobbykate on Instagram
On June 10, 2017 we’ll perform for our fourth year in a row at All Balboa Weekend! It is always an honor to be invited to perform at this long-running Balboa event that is home to what is essentially the world championships of Balboa. Our friends Michael Gamble and the Rhythm Serenaders are performing on Friday night and we’ll be the Saturday night band. We’ve also got a special surprise for you with guest vocalist Nick Williams, so don’t miss a moment of the live music at ABW!
HobNob Jazz Series at Booth Amphitheater – May 17, 2017
Photo from our first performance at Booth Amphitheater a few years ago, courtesy of Frank Myers of Sweet Life Studios
We are excited to be returning for a third year to Booth Amphitheater’s Hob Nob Jazz Series! This is a family-friendly event at a beautiful outdoor venue, with ample space for a picnic on the grass, chairs on the deck for lounging, food and beverage vendors, and lots of room to dance. Join us on May 17, 2017 for an evening of swing era tunes, sponsored by HobNob Wines!
Koka Booth Amphitheater
8003 Regency Parkway
Cary, NC
5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Admission: Only $5.00 for adults and kids 12 and under get in free – visit the Booth Amphitheater website to purchase tickets in advance.
Nashville Dance Congress – May 5-6, 2017
We don’t see a lot of arts grant money going to social dance events, so it’s rare and wonderful that organizers of the Nashville Dance Congress have been the beneficiaries of a grant allowing them to provide a weekend of FREE dance classes from renowned instructors and social dances to live and DJ’ed music! Featured dance genres are Salsa, Bachata, Ballroom Cabaret, West Coast Swing, Kizomba, Tango, Zouk, Lindy Hop, Balboa, and more! We’re excited to be invited to be a part of this inaugural event as the swing band – we’ll be performing three sets over the weekend, Friday and Saturday nights from 11:00 p.m. to 1:30 a.m., and a Saturday afternoon set from 2:15 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.
If you are staying at the Millennium Maxwell House Hotel, this event is free! For more information or if you are not staying at the hotel, visit the Nashville Dance Congress website.
Videos from DCLX’tra Dance at Glen Echo
On January 28, 2017 DCLX sponsored a swing dance at Glen Echo Park’s Spanish Ballroom and invited us to perform! Here are some videos from the dance, check out this beautiful ballroom, some sweet tunes, and the jam to Business in F:
Photographs from Lincoln Center
We’re excited to share with you the wonderful photographs New York photographer, dancer, DJ, and podcast host Ryan Swift took of the Mint Julep Jazz Band performing at Lincoln Center’s Midsummer Night Swing! He was limited to the press area and public areas in terms of where he could take photographs and we think he did an amazing job, even with these limitations. Here are a few of our favorites below and you can see the entire set on his Flickr page.
Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance – October 6, 2016
Two years ago we closed out the dance tent for our debut performance at Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance, and we excited that they’ve invited us back to open the dance tent this Thursday, October 6, 2016! We’ll be playing an hour and a half-long set from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. to kick off the festival’s official wooden dance floor. Come shake it with us and enjoy the wonderful fall weather!
Rolling Sculpture Art Deco Car Exhibit – September 29, 2016
When the North Carolina Museum of Art reached out to us about performing at their Art Deco car exhibit, the response was a resounding yes – 30’s and 40’s machines of beauty plus music from the same era? Yes, please!
We’ll be opening the Rolling Sculpture: Art Deco Cars from the 1930s and ’40s exhibit with a soiree on September 29 featuring food, cocktails, and hot jazz amongst the rolling sculptures featured in the exhibit. Band plays from 6:45 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. This is the first of many cool events surrounding this exhibit, check out the NCMA Rolling Sculpture exhibit webpage to see what’s in store in the coming months!
Classic City Swing – Athens, GA September 16-17, 2016
Our very first gig in Georgia will be Classic City Swing, a weekend of workshops and dances in Athens, Georgia! We’ll be playing the Friday night and Saturday night main dances at the New Dance Theater on the University of Georgia’s campus. Don’t worry, it’s not a home football game weekend, so you can avoid the traffic and the parking issues! With a large lineup of instructors, this promises to be a big weekend of dancing – for more information, visit the Classic City Swing website.
