The DLE Swing Band East (a 7 or 8-piece) is "the perfect answer" to those who want a talented small swing band that plays big band songs and one that features one of the top two Sinatra-style vocalists in the country. The Band has done events at the prestigious Rainbow Room in New York, overseas events, cruise ships, large fundraisers and many D.C. events. The Band's phenomenal male vocalist has been written up in major newspapers. The Band features several "A" players. The vocalist is also an excellent emcee. A female vocalist is also available (making the Band an 8-piece). Continuous music is available with this band, with a separate trio or quartet taking over on the Band's breaks. The DLE Swing Band East is available in Washington, D.C., Bethesda, Maryland, Northern Virginia, New York, New Jersey and anywhere in the U.S.

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The JS Swing Band (a 7-piece small swing band featuring a superb female vocalist) is dedicated to preserving the classic and often overlooked small group swing from the late 1930's and early 1940's. Founded by two dedicated Swing dancers, The JS Swing Band was a vehicle to expose many dancers and listeners to some of the more interesting and little-appreciated tunes from the Swing era, while still being one of the hottest dance bands playing Swing today. The Band selects tunes from the books of notable small groups as the Benny Goodman Sextet, Count Basie's Kansas City Six/Seven, Artie Shaw's Gramercy Five, as well as the small groups of Lester Young, Illinois Jacquet, Cootie Williams, Django Reinhardt, Duke Ellington and Coleman Hawkins, and features vocal numbers made famous by Ella Mae Morse, Anita O'Day, Peggy Lee and a young Ella Fitzgerald. The JS Swing Band has traveled the world to play to eager Swing dancers. They've performed at the London Balboa Festival (UK), Hawaii Lindy Exchange (Honolulu), the San Francisco Balboa Festival, DCLX (Washington, DC), and the All Balboa Festival. The JS Swing Band has appeared on a television series (2005).

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The TH Band (a 9 to 10-piece) was founded in 2002 and is one of Southern California's most experienced small swing bands. Unique to this band is its 5-piece reed section--4 saxes and 1 clarinet--which give it a truer "big band sound" than other small swing bands. The leader has performed with Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Elvis Presley, Eydie GormÈ, Sarah Vaughan, Harry James, Johnny Guarnieri, Stan Kenton and Boyd Raeburn. He toured with Louis Armstrong and Nat King Cole. In Reno, he worked with Billy Eckstine at Harrah's and later at Harvey's. The TH Band has some of the best sidemen in the business, including Don Smith (Harry James-style trumpet), Dave Tull (drums) and many others. A 9-piece (with no stand alone vocalists) or a 10-piece with a male or female vocalist, The TH Band is available for events in Napa, Sonoma, Monterey, San Francisco Bay Area, Reno, Los Angeles, Orange County, Palm Springs, Santa Barbara, San Diego and virtually anywhere in California.

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The best Sinatra vocalist in Southern California is also a young Sinatra look-alike. He performs with The DLE L.A. Small Big Band (an 11-piece not seen on this site), The TH Band (a 9-piece) or as a solo vocalist to CDs--all to Nelson Riddle and Billy May big band arrangements. As seen on our Big Bands page, he also performs with two of our big bands--The DLE L.A. Big Band (not seen on the site) and The TH Orchestra. The DLE Sinatra Vocalist is available in Southern California, the San Francisco Bay Area, Las Vegas and virtually anywhere in the U.S.

The best small swing band in Las Vegas, The DLE Las Vegas Small Big Band features phenomenal musicians and plays great big band arrangements. The Band performs for shows as well as private and public functions (including conventions, weddings and concerts). A 7-piece instrumental big band, they can add a female or male vocalist or both for a 8 or 9-piece. The Band plays virtually ALL styles of music, including ballroom tempos (quickstep, Sambas, etc.). A sampling of their live video backing The Las Vegas Civic Ballet can be seen by clicking the video link below. The two "dance numbers" can be heard on the first and last segments of the video. The DLE Las Vegas Small Big Band is available in Las Vegas and throughout Nevada and Arizona.

Now celebrating its 30th year of jazz festival, wedding, private club and corporate event performances, Rex Allen's Swing Express^Æ has established its large West Coast following through seven years of Hyatt Hotel tea dances in the Bay Area and Hawaii as well as a long stint at The Claremont Hotel in Oakland. The Band has shared the stage with Helen Forrest, Lionel Hampton and other greats from the Big Band era. In an appearance in Atlantic City co-billed with the legendary vocalist Connie Haines, one reviewer called the Band's performance "Enlightening...brings back the great days of the big bands." A 5 to 9-piece band, Rex Allen's Swing Express^Æ plays excellent big band arrangements. Their 5-piece and 8-piece tracks can be heard on the mp3s below. They are available throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, Lake Tahoe, Southern California and across the U.S.

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Founded in 1987 as an instrumental light jazz-swing trio, the Band added vocalist Regina Otto in 1995. She is "the quintessential 1940s-style vocalist" with a voice that is reminiscent of Helen Forrest, Gogi Grant and a young Doris Day, with the difference being that, unlike Forrest and Day, she's a soprano with an incredible lower range. Many of the area's top sidemen are part of the Band, most of them "A" players. One of the top light jazz and Swing bands in the country, the Band features early Andre Previn-style pianist David Levin who gives the Band that "Swing drive" not heard in other small swing bands (You can hear this especially on Track 1, "You Make Me Feel So Young"). The Band has appeared at The San Francisco Black and White Ball and at events at The Pacific-Union Club and Burlingame Country Club and has performed at many wedding receptions. The Trio (piano, bass and sax/flute) was the steady combo at The Top Of The Mark in San Francisco. The 5-piece is featured on the instrumental Tracks 1 and 3. The 6-piece (Ms. Otto and the Quintet) is heard on Track 2 with Ms. Otto singing the classic Jimmy McHugh tune, "On The Sunny Side Of The Street". Track 4 features the 4-piece (Ms. Otto and the Trio) singing the 1946 film noir classic rhumba, "Heartbreak", a song that was written for a small orchestra but one that "works" with a small swing band that has a pianist with a left hand like Levin's. Three "A" players--jazz great Vince Lateano on drums, Benny Goodman-style clarinetist, Jim Rothermel and Harry James-style trumpeter Tom Leps (who plays four of James' trumpets) are heard on most of these tracks. The Trio, Quartet and Quintet's unique song list consists of "up" numbers like Cole Porter's "Just One Of Those Things" to "medium swing" tunes like "You Make Me Feel So Young" to rumbas like "Heartbreak" and "Night And Day" to slow, smoky jazz ballads like "Easy Living" and "If You Could See Me Now" that are reminiscent of that mid- to late-1940s sound. The David Levin Swing Band contracts an experienced sound company for its performances, a company that provides the Band with the exceptional Bag End floor monitors and Lexicon digital reverb. The Band is available in Napa, Sonoma, Monterey, the Bay Area, Sacramento, and virtually anywhere in the U.S.

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The JE Swing Band (a 4 to 6-piece) is a small swing band that specializes in the Swing standards of the 40s and 50s, most notably the music of Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin and Tommy Dorsey. The first track was recently recorded "live" in San Francisco and features the Quartet with their exceptional male vocalist-trombonist-leader. The 5-piece ads a sax/clarinet and a third horn is available, making it a 6-piece with big band arrangements. The JE Swing Band is available in Napa, Monterey and San Francisco.

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DLE is proud to offer the best in Louis Jordan/Louis Prima-style jump swing bands for our clients and one of the best small dance bands in the country--The DLE Jump Swing Band (a 6-piece, featuring 2 horns and a hot new male vocalist). "Jump" is still a popular request of many wedding couples, due in large part to its driving beat. If you're interested in a quality jump band--as opposed to a quality classic swing band, as are the other bands listed on this page--you can find out more by calling us or sending us an email inquiry from our Contact DLE page. The DLE Jump Swing Band is available virtually anywhere in California from Southern California to the San Francisco Bay Area, Napa and beyond. Three of their mp3 tracks are featured below, including their newest (Track 1) featuring their new male lead vocalist.

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