It’s the small swing band with the big band sound

Published 5:00 pm Monday, October 8, 2012

Dedicated to the music of the Swing Era, Swing Fever has been performing and touring since 1978. Conducted by trombonist Bryan Gould and with vocalist Denise Perrier, Swing Fever has appeared at the Monterey, San Francisco, San Jose and Los Angeles jazz festivals and four San Francisco black and white balls. The band treats Swing Era music as a living, breathing form, to which the players bring fresh excitement, new arrangements and unusual instrumentation.

“The music is our passion,” said Gould. “We learned from the originators of the music, which is why our performances have an authenticity that fans expect and critics appreciate. And then there’s our fine vocalist, Denise Perrier.”

It helps to have experienced jazz players from the San Francisco Bay Area. Swing Fever musicians have performed and recorded with Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, BB King, Rosemary Clooney, Stan Getz, Thelonius Monk, George Shearing, Coleman Hawkins, Peggy Lee, Chet Baker, Vince Guaraldi, Bill Evans, Red Norvo, Wes Montgomery, Teddy Wilson, Max Roach, Earl “Fatha” Hines, Michael Feinstein, Glen Campbell, John Hendrix, Johnny Mathis, Carmen McRae, Mel Torme, Joe Pass and Kenny Burrell.

Swing Fever has released three CDs, two of them with Duke Ellington/Count Basie trumpeter Clark Terry (given a lifetime achievement award at the 2010 Grammy awards), growing out of several tours together and an appearance at the Monterey Jazz Festival. A fourth CD, from live tour performances with Buddy DeFranco and Terry Gibbs, will appear in the spring of 2013.

Swing Fever will appear in concert at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 11, at the Coaster Theatre, 108 N. Hemlock St. in Cannon Beach. Tickets are $15 or $20 at the box office, 503-436-1242, or online at www.coastertheatre.com

Swing Fever will appear at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 13, at Donavon Wooley Performing Arts Center, Clatskanie Mid/High School, 471 S.W. Bel Air Drive in Clatskanie. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and students and $5 for children. For more information about this concert, call 503-728-3403 or log on to www.clatskaniearts.org

Finally, the group will play at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 14, at Hilltop Auditorium, 314 Brumbach in Ilwaco, Wash., as part of the Water Music Festival. Admission is free. For more information about the concert or the festival, call 360-665-4466 or log on to http://WaterMusicFestival.com