Doors at 7:30 pm; Dance lesson with Cheryl McBride and Michael Marangio at 8:00 pm; Show at 9:00 pm
Tickets are $12 Advance / $15 Day of Show
A Swing at Ashkenaz Production
Lisa Gonick & the Damfino Players continue 4th Saturday Swing dance series with their hot jazz, swing, and blues styles. As always, the live music at 9 p.m. is preceded by a fine swing dance lesson at 8 p.m.
The Damfino Players are a rare but wonderful treat; this is their first visit since last October’s crowd-pleasing debut. Singer Lisa Gonick is a longtime Ashkenaz performer, formerly with SwingThing (her singing partner in that group, Cheryl McBride, will join Damfino Players for a few songs tonight). Damfinos guitarist and ukulele player Cliff Moser is also a SwingThing alum; in fact, he and Gonick have been partners in all sorts of projects over the last 16 years. Their current band allows for a more intimate and diverse feel. Tonight they offer a mix of swing, blues, and New Orleans-style hot jazz, along with hokum, novelty tunes and ballads. As they explain, “Think Ukulele Ike with a sweet late ’30s jazz guitar feel.” Their song list includes “Honeysuckle Rose,” “ Stompin’ at the Savoy” and “Blue Skies.”
Gonick says, “We love dancers so even when it’s just the two of us, we try to make it so you can’t stop movin’ your feet.” In addition to Gonick on ukulele and vocals, and Moser on hot guitar, the Damfinos are banjo player and guitarist Jeff Green, reeds player Jamison Smeltz, bassist Vic Wong, and pianist Virginia Tichenor.
