BY KIRSTEN E. PAULSON
Swingtime Big Band will be performing swing-era music in Astoria Park on July 16 at 7:30 p.m. as part of the annual Central Astoria Local Development Coalition’s 2015 Waterfront Concert Series, which offers free weekly concerts through mid-August.
This 20-piece group, directed by Steven Shaiman, will play authentic recreations of the timeless swing music of Big Band leaders such as Count Basie, Artie Shaw, Duke Ellington and more.
According to the band’s website, the ensemble specializes in performing original arrangements of classic Big Band music, and bringing the style and spirit of the genre to life for 21st-century audiences. In 2007, the Big Band Hall of Fame recognized Swingtime as ambassadors of big band music for their efforts in “perpetuating, promoting and performing with integrity the sounds of the Big Band Era.”
Swingtime Big Band has performed in notable venues such as the Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall, the Plaza Hotel, the Waldorf Astoria and Tavern on the Green.
The event is free and will take place on the Great Lawn of Astoria Park on Shore Boulevard, between the Hell Gate Bridge and the Astoria Pool. Attendees are advised to bring their own chairs or blankets.
Performances will continue on Thursday evenings from July 23 through August 13 and will feature Michael Patrick’s Ring of Fire Band, Time Was, Dancin’ Machine and Spitfire.
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