March 21, 2023 – Tin Cup Serenade

With influences from Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Muddy Waters, Tom Waits, Charlie Parker, Bessie Smith, Django Reinhardt, and Hank Williams, Tin Cup Serenade performs both classic and original swing, jazz, blues, and Americana.  The band has an approach to improvising that goes back to the Basie big band of the 1930s–wherein horn players improvise behind the soloist–although with Tin Cup, it’s voice and horns creating spontaneous harmonies on the fly.  The result is a timeless sound all their own.

Check out Tin Cup Serenade here:
And then dance to them live at the Woodchopper’s Ball!

March 28, 2023
– Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers (9:00-11:30pm)
– After-Hours Jam (11:30pm-1:30am)

Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers are the real deal!  Combining the sultry vocals of Lavay Smith, reminiscent of Bessie Smith, Dinah Washington, Billie Holiday, and Little Esther, with bona fide veteran jazz musicians schooled in the nuances of blues, swing, jazz, and R&B, this band will make you want to dance all night!

The After-Hours Jam Session is now a regular monthly feature at the Woodchopper’s Ball, happening on the last Tuesday of the month, 11:30pm-1:30am, immediately following our regular Live Music Dance Party.  Spread the word!

• Held in the lounge, with the bar staying open extra late, until 1:30am, and with space for dancing!  Take a nap Tuesday, and plan to work from home on Wednesday–this jam party will swing until late!
• Included with admission to the Live Music Dance Party,  $15 ($5 after 11:00pm)!  Must arrive before doors close at 12:00am midnight.
• Led by Andrew “Carnegie” Hall, the regular pianist for the Cosmo Alleycats and Hot Baked Goods.
• Musicians of all levels welcome!  If you play an instrument or sing, here’s your chance to jam with other musicians.

April 4, 2023 – Rob Reich Swings Left

Rob Reich Swings Left, led by pianist, accordionist, and composer Rob Reich, plays jazz music for dancing, rooted in the classic swing era of the late 1930s.  Featuring classic arrangements of Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Artie Shaw, “Swings Left” branches off from there and also features Rob Reich’s original music, combining hot rhythms with a fun, playful sensibility that will keep your feet moving and your face smiling!

April 11, 2023 – Benny Amón’s New Orleans Pearls

Benny Amón’s relatively young career in jazz has established him as a prominent early jazz drummer. Currently splitting his time between his native Bay Area & his adopted long term home of New Orleans, Benny continues to pursue opportunities to perform, teach, and record with world class musicians. Benny’s New Orleans Pearls will present New Orleans Dance Hall jazz reminiscent of the great Bunk Johnson and George Lewis Bands that revived New Orleans Jazz.