America's Top Forties

Area swing band plays for fun, fundraising

By HEIDI GAISER

The Daily Inter Lake

After Swingin' On High mastered the World War II-era hit "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" almost 10 years ago, the group of local musicians added a handful of big-band tunes to its music library and stuck with those for a few years.

For a recent dance at the Kalispell Eagles, the band played 3 1/2 hours yet covered only about a fifth of its repertoire.

"We've grown considerably in repertoire and versatility of music," B.J. Lupton, Swingin' On High bandleader, said. "We have a huge amount of different styles and tempos and composers."

Swingin' On High, which now has about 200 different pieces of music in its library, formed in 1998 as a group of musicians who knew each other through attendance at Kalispell's Christian Center.

About half of its 18 members now have no affiliation with the Christian Center - the only requirement is instrumental talent and a love for the swing music of the 1930s and '40s.

The Christian Center is still home base for the band, with the church providing a place for rehearsals and a venue for an annual concert.

The band is not about Christian evangelism, though. The members consider making people happy - by offering quality live music and a chance to dance - a ministry in itself.

"There's not a spiritual test that one needs to pass," Lupton said. "We're just a group of good friends and great musicians who enjoy this wonderful music."

But the band does have a mission. Lupton said the band provides a way for music lovers to "have fun and enjoy wholesome music," but the group also puts a special focus on community service.

Swingin' On High performs frequently for fundraisers or just for events that create community good will. The group has done concerts for the Flathead Veterans Memorial Fund, Lighthouse Christian Home, the DREAM program for disabled skiers and Hope Ranch, to name a few.

"We're not oriented to playing for money," Lupton said. "We want to play for community causes, charities, nonprofits that we feel have worth."

At 6 p.m. May 19, Swingin' On High performs during the fifth annual Spring Swing Fling Thing in the Salvation Army gym on Bountiful Drive. Kettles will be out for those who want to give donations, but the focus of the evening is not really fundraising but fun.

Dance lessons will be provided by swing-dance master Douglas Bradley.

The nature of the music makes it a perfect vehicle for community service, Lupton said.

"It just creates that happy wholesome feeling," Lupton said.

And it draws crowds, always a bonus for fundraisers.

"It's surprising how many people are extremely interested in hearing that kind of music," Russ Larson, one of the group's bass trombonists, said. "World War II veterans especially think it's the greatest thing."

High school students, sometimes from the Flathead High School Swing Dance Club, also make regular appearances at Swingin' On High events.

"The crowds are pretty steady," Larson said. "And they're always the happiest when they can dance. If they can't move around, they're dancing in their seats."

Swingin' On High's catalog encompasses the music of the best-known names of the big -band heyday, such as Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, Count Basie, Artie Shaw, Harry James, Tommy Dorsey, the Gershwin brothers and Louis Prima, including some copies of original scores.

One Swingin' On High member recently told Lupton that the Benny Goodman family had bequeathed Goodman's music to Yale University.

"I did a bunch of digging, and kind of found a pot at the end of the rainbow," Lupton said.

Yale has all of Goodman's work stored in its archives. These include the original charts, or scores, many hand-annotated by Goodman himself. The band purchased copies of more than 30 of the charts.

"It's a wonderful find," Lupton said.

Swingin' on High always has carried the personnel typical of the big bands - five saxophones, four trombones, four trumpets and a rhythm section of a bass player, guitarist, pianist and drummer. The band has added a female vocalist, Holly Smith, to increase its versatility.

Swingin' On High has not played year-round as a rule, marking its season from January through May or June to give the musicians time off. Demand for the band has grown considerably, so Lupton said there could be a need for new members.

"We might be picking up additional players and maybe use a platoon or substitute system, so the players don't have to obligate themselves for too much time," Lupton said.

The band has made a commitment to a gig outside its regular season with its debut appearance at the Glacier Jazz Stampede in October.

Swingin' on High band members are: Reeds - Jack Miller, Roberta Struck, Fred Jones, Dale Sheppard, John Hamel, Todd Bernhardt. Trombones - Russ Larson, Dave Lind, Steve Shoemaker, Wendell Tharpe. Trumpets - B. J. Lupton, Ron Noe, Bud Ridenour, Dana Scranton, Davey Toavs. Guitar - Rob Shirtliff. Piano - Nina Robart. Drums - Jim Andler. Vocals - Holly Smith.

Reporter Heidi Gaiser may be reached at 758-4431 or by e-mail at hgaiser@dailyinterlake.com.