San Jose Big Band Celebration (Aug. 12-15)

Submitted by the Event Organizer

Live music is back and it’s time to get swingin’! Join us for a fantastically fun weekend of big band music at the Tabard, Thursday August 12 through Sunday August 15.

We have a full lineup of all the best big bands the Bay Area has to offer! So dust off your dancing shoes, and come down for some big sounds both new and old.

Nineteen Jazz Orchestra and featuring vocalist Juanita Harris revisit the Savoy Ballroom of the early 1940’s, performing the original Chic Webb arrangements popularized by Ella Fitzgerald. Come out and dance the night away (or just bop in your seat) to the swinging sounds of Chick, Ella, Nineteen & Juanita. In the 1940s, the legendary Savoy Ballroom in Manhattan was home to one of the hottest bands in jazz history: the Chick Webb Orchestra. This show will be a “blast from the past ” and dancing IS encouraged. Nineteen and Juanita sold out the Tabard with these tunes last March just before the shutdown, so advance purchase is strongly recommended for these shows.

Nineteen is San Jose’s only professional big band, led by veteran San Jose musician Gus Kambeitz. They have been performing at Tabard Theatre since 2010 and are thrilled to be making their return to the stage after the pandemic shutdown. Prior to their Tabard residency, the Nineteen have performed with numerous legendary jazz artists including Dave Liebman, Dave Weckl, Steve Smith , Carl Saunders, Brian Bromberg, and many others! Nineteen has also collaborated with Tabard Theater on two original World Premiere musical theatre productions, Uptown Holiday Swing and Holiday at the Savoy.

Juanita Harris began studying piano at 6, then violin at 8, and guitar at 10. Attending the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s Preparatory program, she excelled in music theory, opera, and string ensemble. She attended Humboldt State University where she continued her studies as a violin and piano major until a devastating carpal tunnel injury changed her focus from strings and piano to vocals. Juanita then continued her musical education at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where she studied Music Business, Music Production and Engineering, and Songwriting. In 2004, she became a vocalist with The Jack Conway Trio and other Bay Area local bands and also developed her acting chops performing in local community theatre. In 2013, a month-long trip to Paris turned into a year-long European stay. Founding The Juanita Harris Quartet, she became a headliner on the Paris jazz club scene and then made her way to Austria and Germany performing fundraising events for UNICEF. In addition to performing throughout the Bay Area as a jazz soloist, she is presently a voice actor and has developed her own vocal studio emphasizing technique and performance. http://www.facebook.com/DivaHarrisSings/

For tickets: https://www.tabardtheatre.org/box-office/tickets/

Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.