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David Levin Entertainment
Small Swing Bands
David Levin Entertainment provides the finest small swing bands in the country, from 5 to 12-piece Los Angeles swing bands, Las Vegas swing bands, S.F. swing bands, Southern California swing bands, L.A. swing bands, Bay Area swing bands and San Francisco jump swing bands to7 or 8-piece small swing bands that play big band arrangements, most notably, our East Coast swing band, The DLE Swing Band East and our popular 8-piece Swing band in San Francisco, The SE Band. DLE's San Francisco swing bands, Southern California swing bands, Las Vegas swing bands and East Coast swing bands are experienced wedding dance bands. Key to the high quality sound we offer in our small swing bands are the superb female and male vocalists found in these bands. These vocalists range from Sinatra and Bobby Darrin-style male vocalists to Ella Fitzgerald-style "scatting" jazz vocalists (not seen or heard on this site but available on mp3s by request) to 40s commercial swing big band-style vocalists as well as cabaret jazz vocalists such as vocal-sensation, Regina Otto and The David Levin Swing Jazz Band. All DLE small swing bands travel including our SF swing bands and L.A. swing bands. The bands featured below are also available outside of California--in the Midwest, the Southeast, Connecticut, the D.C. area and New York. DLE small swing bands are experienced convention and corporate bands. All DLE small swing bands provide sound and back-line within their rates for local performances and for some out-of-area performances. One of our newest small swing bands, The JS Swing Band, will drive up from Los Angeles to the S.F. Bay Area, Monterey, Napa, Sacramento and Lake Tahoe for events, bringing with them their sound and backline. Our other outstanding new Southern California small swing band, The HS Swing Band, only requires 2 airfares while the rest of the band will drive up to Monterey, Sacramento, Napa, Lake Tahoe and the San Francisco Bay Area from Southern California. Another one of our 9 to 10-piece Southern California swing bands that plays only big band arrangements, The TH Band, covers the entire Los Angeles-San Diego-Santa Barbara region including Palm Springs, and will drive up from Southern California to the San Francisco Bay Area, Monterey, Sonoma, Napa, Reno and Sacramento for events. Our newest Swing band, The DLE Las Vegas Small Big Band (a 7 to 9-piece) plays outstanding big band arrangements and has a "live" in concert video seen below performing the Swing standard "Tuxedo Junction" as well as Nelson Riddle's arrangement of Gershwin's "Delilah". The DLE Swing Band East covers the entire East Coast, including Connecticut, New York and D.C.
For more Small Swing Bands not seen on this page, please contact DLE |
DLE East Coast Swing Bands
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The DLE Swing Band East
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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DLE Southern California Swing Bands
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The HS Swing Band
The HS Swing Band (a 6-piece with female vocalist) is a late 30s and early 40s Kansas City-style Swing jazz band and is one of the most exciting and danceable small swing bands in Southern California. Featuring one of the finest classic jazz drummers in the country (who has been recorded on more than 150 albums and CDs), the Band's infectious Swing has quickly become popular at jazz clubs and festivals in Southern California and across the nation. Their pianist is perhaps the most talented classic jazz pianist today, the horns are terrific, as is the Freddie Green-style guitarist and bassist-vocalist. This band has a clean, "tight" sound and really swings--as the following live and unedited tracks demonstrate. The HS Swing Band is available for events in Los Angeles, Orange County, Palm Springs, Santa Barbara, San Diego, the San Francisco Bay Area and virtually anywhere in California.
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The JS Swing Band
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
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 Gormé, 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 DLE Sinatra Vocalist
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.
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DLE Las Vegas Small Swing Bands
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The DLE Las Vegas Small Big Band
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.
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DLE S.F. Bay Area Swing Bands
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The David Levin Swing Jazz Band with Regina Otto
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 San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento, Reno and virtually anywhere in the U.S.
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Rex Allen's Swing Express®
Now celebrating its 30th year of jazz festival, wedding, private club and corporate event performances, Rex Allen's Swing Express® 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® 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, Sacramento, Lake Tahoe, Southern California and across the U.S.
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The DLE Jump Swing Band
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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The A Band
Besides being an excellent variety dance band, The A Band is one of the best small swing bands in the San Francisco Bay Area. They play 50s Swing and Standards as well as they do Disco, 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s covers. The 6-piece features two exceptionally talented lead vocalists (a male and a female) without horns. The 9-piece features three horns and can be heard on the three instrumental big band arrangement tracks of 40s and 50s Swing below--Tracks 1, 2 and 3. The A Band is self-contained. Their soundman can act as DJ during the breaks. They are available all over Northern California, Southern California and the U.S. Their local area covers Napa, Sonoma, Sacramento, the San Francisco Bay Area and they are also available in Mendocino, Monterey as well as Reno and in North and South Lake Tahoe.
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The JE Swing Band
The JE Swing Band (a 5-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 following mp3 Swing jazz tracks features the 5-piece with their exceptional male vocalist-trombonist. A female vocalist is available upon request, making it a 6-piece. The JE Swing Band is available in Napa, Sonoma, Sacramento, Monterey and San Francisco.
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The JR Swing Band
The JR Swing Band (a 5-piece as heard on their new CD tracks below) features one of the best Benny Goodman-style clarinetists in the state. He is also a superb sax player. The Band also features one of the finest swing pianists in the region, not to mention an outstanding drummer, bassist and Freddie Green-style guitarist. The 6-piece provides a trumpet and the 7-piece, a trombone. The JR Swing Band is available in Napa, Sonoma, Monterey, the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento and virtually any city or getaway site in the U.S.
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