Saturday, April 27, 2024
The Granbury Jazz Orchestra plans to transport Hood County residents back in time with its inaugural Big Band Dance from 8-11 p.m. on Saturday, May 27, at Oasis Tranquilo, 950 Williamson Road.
Featuring popular swing music of the 1940s, participants can jitterbug on the dance floor to some of their old favorites from Glenn Miller like “In the Mood,” “Little Brown Jug,” “American Patrol,” and “Moonlight Serenade.”
The Big Band Dance will also spotlight music from other famous dance bands of the 40s and 50s like Artie Shaw, Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, Les Elgart, and Tommy Dorsey.
Mark Hettle, director of the Granbury Jazz Orchestra, said the Big Band Dance will give the band another place to perform besides the biannual concerts.
“We wanted something a little bit more,” Hettle said. “It's no fun rehearsing if you don't have someone to play for, so we came up with the idea of having dances.”
Hettle said he hopes that the Big Band Dance is the first of many that the Granbury Jazz Orchestra can put on for Hood County.
“There's a lot of people who are in their 60s, 70s, and 80s, who are very familiar with the dance music of the bands that played in the 40s and 50s, like Stan Kenton and Woody Herman,” Hettle said. “People of that age group will recognize these people, and that's the kind of music they like to dance to.”
Formal attire — coats and ties for men and dresses or pantsuits for women — is requested for the event.
David Talmage, manager of the Granbury Jazz Orchestra, said participants don’t have to dance.
“It's okay just to come and listen,” he said.
A full cash bar will also be available during the Big Band Dance.
Tickets are $15 each or $25 for a couple and can be purchased at the door on the day of the event. Only payments of cash or checks will be accepted.
GRANBURY JAZZ ORCHESTRA
The Granbury Jazz Orchestra was organized in 2007 under the name Langdon Center Big Band. The name, however, was later changed in 2022 to better fit with the nonprofit organization’s style.
Hettle was a former member of the One O’Clock Lab Band at the University of North Texas in Denton —known then as North Texas State University.
Right out of high school, he attended the United States Naval School of Music where he received his formal music training.
For the next 40 years, Hettle played professionally with various bands. He said he remembers a “changing of the guard” that took place in the music scene.
“When I first started playing with dance bands back in the 70s, the crowd was always very elderly,” he said. “But as they started passing away, sadly, all of a sudden a thing came on the scene called swing dance, and younger folks love to swing dance and jitterbug, so we started seeing people come up in their 20s and 30s to dance, so it was a whole new audience dancing to the music of the 40s."
Talmage joked that Hettle heard the Langdon Center Big Band perform an outdoor concert one day and realized how much help they needed, which was why Hettle decided to join as director in 2008.
“The reason I joined the band with David is because I thought I could impart some of that experience that I had to the players — that's the whole thing,” Hettle said. “And I love it. It's good music, and I enjoy working with everybody.”
Now, the Granbury Jazz Orchestra is a 20-piece dance band that performs at various functions in the city throughout the year. The GJO consists of 20 musicians and two vocalists.
“We only rehearse twice a month,” Talmage said. “We rehearse every other Sunday at First Christian Church. We've been rehearsing there since 2007, and they've never sent us a bill. It's wonderful to get to have a place like that to do it.”
Talmage said he is excited for the Big Band Dance to see Hood County residents dancing to the music from their youth — especially knowing that he will be playing a huge part in instilling happiness in others.
“As musicians, you get this adrenaline when you have an audience out there that loves what you're doing, and you look out there and see people on the dance floor,” he said. “There's a lot of times I'll look out there because I'll see a couple dancing that are really good at swing dancing, and I'll lose my place in the music. It's just really fun to see people having a good time listening to music that they grew up listening to — that's why we do it."
For additional information on directions to the event, ticket purchase, or protocol, call Talmage at 817-219-4130 or send an email to granburyjazzorchestra@gmail.com.
