Swingin' on High to play in Kalispell

Swingin’ on High, featuring the sound of the Big Band era, is playing for the first time at the regular Eagles Saturday night dance on April 13.

This band, comprised of 17 skilled local musicians and led by local businessman BJ Lupton, has been playing for 22 years at various local functions, many of which were for charitable fundraisers. Thousands of dancers and listeners have been thrilled with the great Big Band sounds of yesteryear.

The band provides the marvelous sounds of Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Count Basie, Artie Shaw, Harry James, Tommy Dorsey and many more. The rhythms, beat, and tempos of these greats give a variety of choices of dance styles.

Swingin’ On High instrumentation is big-band standard: five saxophones, four trumpets, four trombones, piano, bass, drums, and female vocalist.

In attempting to keep the sound of the Big Band era as authentic as possible, the band has conducted significant research, with an effort to find original material, called “charts.” Recently discovered was all of the original Benny Goodman material, which had been bequeathed to Yale University and found in its archives. The band purchased a number of these wonderful charts and has added them to their “book of music” for the enjoyment of one and all.

Swingin’ On High was created and continues to exist for the benefit of our community. For the band, the playing of this delightful and wholesome music is a joy.

Don’t miss this opportunity to dance on a large dance floor. The April 13 dance will be held from 7 to 11 p.m., in the Kalispell Eagles Ballroom, boasting one of the best dance floors in Northwest Montana. Admission is $10 per person.