The Grand Street Stompers are yet another band from the Brooklyn Jazz Renaissance scene. Led by the Jazz encyclopedia: Gordon Au on trumpet, who was just here for New Year’s playing with Baby Soda. He also frequently moonlights along side Gordon Webster. Speaking of moons, it’s one of the favorite topics of singing pixie/chanteuse Tamar Korn. To hear her sing is just heartbreakingly staggering…

Anyhow, so they’re veterans of the Brooklyn to BSC underground train. We smuggle them up here, they play for us and we send them back in the middle of the night… Last Fall the Grand Street Stompers came up during Columbus Day weekend and it appeared that a lot of folks were gone…leaf peeping or something…so they got a little lost in the shuffle.

And once again this February, they’re sandwiched in between two huge dances, but don’t let that stop you from coming out to BSC three weeks in a row…you don’t want to miss any of these dances!!! (and why not? it’s cheaper than a trip to the Bahamas and will probably leave you feeling just as warm and sunny)

Check out The Grand Street Stompers website here.

Or watch Tamar sing with them here…

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm – 12:00am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

There’s a lady who’s sure all that glitters is gold…

Gordon Webster returns to Boston Swing Central for the first time since the Dirty Water Lindy Exchange and this time he’s bringing with him a very very special guest…New Orleans street performer, Loose Marble and chanteuse extraordinaire: Meschiya Lake.

Meschiya is a force of nature, one of those rare performers that you don’t want to miss…and combined with a night of Gordon Webster…well, you really don’t want to miss this! We’re flying Meschiya in from New Orleans…Gordon has assembled a cracker jack band especially for this performance to really showcase Ms. Lake’s talents! We’re so excited we can hardly contain ourselves, shout it from the rooftops and invite all your out-of-town friends….we’re barely a month into 2012 and we’re already delivering you one of the top events of this year…yay! Go BSC! Early interest in this night indicates we’re headed for a sell-out crowd, cmon out early!!

Check out what NPR had to say about Meschiya here.

Meschiya and the Loose Marbles take it to the streets of New Orleans:

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm – 1:30am
Special Event Admission: $20
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $17

Please note: No Coupons accepted for this event. Also passes can be redeemed at 2-for-1 admission for this event.

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Maybe you’ve wanted to learn to swing dance but don’t have time to commit to a weekly class? This is your chance! Our next weekend “crash course” workshop for 3 hours on Sunday January 22nd, 1pm-3:30pm Come learn from experienced teachers who are also social dancers in the Lindy Hop scene.

We will cover six count basic (East Coast Swing), basic eight count (Lindy Hop), and Charleston Basic. Moves include swing out, Lindy circle, swing out from closed, and side by side Charleston. At the end of this class, you will be able to attend a social dance and dance to music.

Instructors Mike & Julie have been teaching Boot Camp on a regular basis as well as teaching occasionally on Friday nights and making sure all things BSC continue to rock!

1:00 – 3:30 PM
$25 advanced on-line registration, $30 at the door (register here.)

See bostonswingcentral.org/lessons for current offerings.

Enter the Dragon!

It’s time to ring in the Chinese New Year this Friday at Boston Swing Central, Texas-style with Odessa Rose…a Western Swing band. And it’s the Year of the Dragon that we’re ushering in! All that Tebowing must’ve worked because our order of custom BSC Fortune Cookies has arrived! Get excited and come and get them this Friday…fortune cookies with swing dancing fortunes inside!

And just in case you don’t know what this Western Swing stuff is, don’t worry, it’s got nothing to do with West Coast Swing…it is the Texas interpretation of what Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington and Count Basie. Like good BBQ, you’ll want to dip your fingers in it, er your toes, and use a ladle to get every drop…

Basically, cats like Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys felt that if the Duke and the Count could swing, so could they. Except they had pedal steel guitars instead of large horn sections. And they played hot jazz country-fried, and country songs hot jazz style and yee-haw, Western Swing as a genre of music was born! Lucky us!

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm – 12:30am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Boston Swing Central is hosting a New Year’s Eve Gala in the style of the famous Great Gatsby. For those of you fretting over New Years plans, worry no more!

What is the New Year’s Eve Great Gatsby Gala?…a swing dance party harking back to the roaring 20s! Vintage black tie dress-up encouraged (but not required)…Charleston and Black Bottom were the dances of the day…Our vintage Paper Moon photo booth and a midnight toast (non-alcoholic – true to the prohibition era)…and to top it all off, we’ll have one of our very favorite bands, Baby Soda to help us ring in the New Year!

Make a New Year’s resolution this year to dance more!

TICKETS NO LONGER AVAILABLE IN ADVANCE. BUT COME JOIN US AND PURCHASE YOUR TICKET AT THE DOOR!
At the door (New Years Eve Night) the price will be $30.
(please note this is a Special Event, passes will be accepted, but tonight it takes 2 passes to get in.)

Boston Swing Central at the Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland St
Charlestown, MA 02129
Admission: See Above
Time: 8-9pm lesson, General dancing from 9pm to at least 12:30am.

We’ll hopefully see you sometime real soon, if not on New Year’s Eve!

Have you ever wondered why you’re so dizzy after doing a bunch of swing outs? Or perhaps you’re a little wobbly when you do a turn. This class will give us some techniques and exercises to make us more comfortable and aware of ourselves which will give us more confidence on the dance floor. Natalya’s techniques for balancing and turning apply to all of the partner dances we do at Boston Swing Central, such as the Lindy Hop, Blues and Balboa. All levels are welcome, no experience is required.

Natalya brings here considerable talent as an amazing Lindy Hopper and Ballet dancer to help us get in tune with our centers, become more balanced, and poised. She enjoys teaching locally and is known for her sense of balance, beautiful lines, and friendly personality.

Lesson : 8:30pm – 9:30pm
$10 advanced registration via website, $12 at the door (register here.)

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

You might have seen folks doing Charleston at a dance, likely they are doing side-by-side Charleston. Perhaps you know how to do this already and use the effervescent Charleston as part of your dance. But do you know Tandem Charleston? This is the crowd pleasing Charleston where the follower is in front and the leader is in the back chugging like a choo-choo train.

Brian and Kellian will be teaching us how to get into and out of Tandem Charleston. And once we’re in Tandem Charleston, they’ll show us some of their favorite moves that you can do while remaining in the Tandem Charleston mode (if you will). We recommend this for intermediate dancers and above.

Brian and Kellian Pletcher are some of our favorite teachers at Boston Swing Central. They bring their considerable talents and energy to our dance scene as organizers of the Lindy Bomb Squad which frequently performs in random public places.

Lesson : 7:30pm – 8:30pm
$10 advanced registration via website, $12 at the door (register here.)

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Ever want to learn to swing dance but don’t have time to commit to a weekly class? This is your chance! Our next weekend “crash course” workshop for 3 hours on Sunday December 11th, 1pm-4pm Come learn from experienced teachers who are also social dancers in the Lindy Hop scene.

We will cover six count basic (East Coast Swing), basic eight count (Lindy Hop), and Charleston Basic. Moves include swing out, Lindy circle, swing out from closed, and side by side Charleston. At the end of this class, you will be able to attend a social dance and dance to music.

Shawn Potter has recently returned to the states from Tokyo, where he ran iSwingTokyo. Shawn has made a name for himself world-wide with his passion and dedication to Lindy Hop as a “lead and follow dance.” He uses his extensive knowledge of body movement, body mechanics and connection to teach and inspire people to dance and become better at Lindy Hop. Shawn’s teaching focuses on the fundamentals of Lead and Follow using rhythm and natural body movement as the basis of the dance. Shawn’s style has been described as playful, solid, clear and musical. His dancing and philosophy have won the respect of many of the top dancers and instructors in the USA, Canada, Europe and Asia.

1:00 – 3:45 PM
CLASS IS FULL, Next Boot Camp is Jan 22nd!

Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland St
Charlestown, MA 02129

Originally a dance entitled “Goofus”, the Shim Sham appeared in 1927 and was choreographed by Leonard Reed. Beloved, Founding Father of Lindy Hop, Frankie Manning had his own variation on this line dance which has since become sort of the defacto National Anthem of Swing Dancers (poetically speaking of course). And when dancers hear Jimmy Lunceford’s “T’aint What You Do (It’s the Way That Cha Do It)”, they rush to the front of the room and begin clapping and stomping.

You might’ve witnessed this at a dance or maybe you’ve never seen it before. An exhilarating and ebullient dance, the Shim Sham is fairly easy choreography to learn, so we recommend this for all levels, no experience or partner is required.

Abby is a board member of the BSC has been dancing regularly for 4 years, but has had a love for dancing and jazz since she was a child. She recently taught Michael Jackson’s Thriller line dance at Calling All Zombies, our Halloween dance, and is a very enthusiastic and dynamic teacher.

Lesson : 8:30pm – 9:30pm
$10 advanced registration via website, $12 at the door (register here.)

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Have an upcoming Holiday, New Year’s, or other special engagement coming up this winter? Or just want to check out of swing dancing? Well, the Holiday Swing crash course is just for you! We promise you’ll be leaving with enough skills to impress your friends (that only know how to wave their arms back and forth) on the dance floor. And to keep it fun and festive, we will only be playing holiday classics throughout the class so you’ll get lots of practice. We will be covering basic six count swing moves, Basic Charleston, and how the two work together. At the end of the class, you’ll be able to dance swing to your favorite classic holiday tunes! This class is for the beginner. No partner or prior experience required!

Mike Hibarger and Julie Irish are board members of Boston Swing Central. They are regular social dancers in the Boston scene, love to host kick-ass dances with amazing bands, and enjoy teaching locally – especially to beginners! They take pride in making sure moves are broken down, questions are answered, and people have a good time in their classes.

Lesson : 7:00pm – 8:30pm
$10 advanced registration via website, $12 at the door (register here.)

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Friday, November 11th is Veteran’s Day and we’d like to say a big Thank You to our Vets (and active service men and women) by throwing a special USO style* swing dance, like they did back during WWII. Though we have no political agenda here at BSC, it seems appropriate to show our respect to those who serve and protect so the rest of us can keep on swingin!

The USO is a private organization that has provided morale and recreational services since 1941. Their first priority has always been supporting America’s troops. USO centers and clubs opened around the world as a “Home Away from Home” for GI’s, and was a place to go for dances and social events.

In the 1940’s big bands were the cat’s pajamas. For this event we’ve got one of Boston’s Best Big Bands, the White Heat Swing Orchestra. They’ll be playing all the classic Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Duke Ellington, and Count Basie hits of the 30’s and 40’s. So get dolled up like it’s 1941 and help us say thanks to our military brothers and sisters. White Heat float up and down at the Boston Harbor Hotel and swing hard to Lindy Hop classic: “Digi Digi Doo”!

Servicemen and women who show up in their Dress Uniforms get in for FREE!
Veterans of WWII, Vietnam, Korea, and Desert Storm get in for FREE!
All other veterans and active military (as well as police and fire) personnel get in for $5 off!

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm – 12:30am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

*Please note that Boston Swing Central is not associated with the United Service Organization.

Calling All Zombies*! It’s time to heed the bell toll for another ghastly, ghoulish and grim Halloween party at Boston Swing Central. It’s our 4th year and this time we’re making it a Boilermaker Halloween. What does that mean? Well, you guessed it!  We’re being invaded by the Boilermaker Jazz Band from Pittsburgh, PA.  So, rise up all you creepy crawlies and pay tribute to the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson and dance to the unadulterated swing of one of the hottest swing bands in the country. They’re guaranteed to rattle your bones…and reanimate your zombie hearts…it won’t mean a thing until the zombies start to swing!

The lesson will feature Michael Jackson’s Thriller line dance.  And since this line-dance has a lot of material to cover, the lesson starts early and begins promptly at 7:30pm!  Be there or be comatose!    The Thrilller dance will be performed later on in the evening (performing is, of course, optional – we won’t force ya!)   So, start boning up on your YouTube now… Don’t miss this party as it will be one of the best of the Fall!

If you are unfamiliar with the Boilermaker Jazz band you can check out their website here…

If you are unfamiliar with the Thriller line-dance, um, you must’ve been born somewhere else, but you can watch last year’s BSC performance here (sorry the video is a little dark, that’s the way it is and this doesn’t start until about 2:33 into this clip):

Extended Lesson Time (included in the price of admission): 7:30pm – 9:00pm

Dancing: 9:00pm – 12:30am
General Admission: $22
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $17

Get $2 OFF ADMISSION if you come in costume. But no lame costumes like, “I came as a swing dancer”, or “I came as myself” or putting a couple socks on your shoulder and being “static cling”. Discount is at the discretion of the door staff, so put in some effort!

Please note that we will be accepting passes at the rate of: 1/2 off for one pass, full admission for two passes.  And no coupons will be accepted for this evening.

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Boston Swing Central is very excited for the debut performance of the Red Hook Ramblers from Brooklyn, NY.  Yet another great band from the Brooklyn Authentic Jazz Revival scene.  And this band is going to be a BSC favorite, we have a sixth sense for these things. New Orleans-style Hot Jazz.

They cut their teeth on Bix Beiderbecke and Sidney Bechet and their repetoire includes a lot of BSC favorites like “Shimmy Like My Sister Kate”, “That’s a Plenty”, but they also have some soon to be new favorites like “Apple Pie” and “I Swear It’s True”.  You can check them out here and here.

This band is so authentic, they’ve even recorded to wax cylinder…you can watch the recording session here:

And well, if you don’t know what wax cylinders are, long before there were mp3s, CDs, cassette tapes, 8-track tapes, and even vinyl 12″ records. There were grammaphones and wax cylinders…! So, back, back, back in the day, when your great grandparents or at least your grandparents swung it…!

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm – 12:00am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Some of you might know A Day at the Races as a title of an album by the rock band Queen. And indeed it was. In fact, Queen’s most famous song, “Bohemian Rhapsody” was featured on the companion album, A Night at the Opera. What’s this have to do with swing dancing? Well, Queen took their inspiration from 2 Marx Brothers movies of the same titles.

The Marx Brothers dominated comedy in the 1930s and A Day at the Races is one of their best films from the era. It also happens to feature, Frankie Manning and Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers… In this beautifully shot scene where Harpo wanders into a jam session in a shantytown, Ivey Anderson, backed by Duke Ellington & his band gets things started with her version of “All God’s Chillun Got Rhythm” which then kicks into high gear as Frankie Manning and company take over, showcasing a wide variety of common Lindy Hop moves.

Tonight, DJs Isaac Marx & Gina Helfrich will be sharing the spotlight and spinning the tunes. There unique styles compliment each other quite well and are guaranteed to keep you moving and grooving on the dance floor.

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm – 12:30am
General Admission: $10
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $8

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

The Grand Street Stompers are yet another great jazz band from Brooklyn. There is definitely something in the water there. We like to refer to this scene of players as the Brooklyn Authentic Jazz Revival scene. Many of the bands share players and this band features some players that have played in Gordon Webster’s band as well as the Cangelosi Cards and Baby Soda.

The Grand Street Stompers are led by bouncey trumpet of Gordon Au and the sultry voice of Tamar Korn (also of Cangelosi Cards). GSS embrace the hot jazz of New Orleans. You can hear some of them here.

Or watch them here… “SHE’S A GREAT GREAT GIRL”: GRAND STREET STOMPERS at RADEGAST (Jan. 27, 2011)

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm – 12:30am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

We at Boston Swing Central hope you were energized by the Dirty Water Lindy & Blues Exchange, we’ll do it all again next year, but in the meantime…we get to continue on with our relentless parade of amazing bands this Fall.

It continues on with the Phil McGowan Quintet. A band of hot players assembled by a sometimes drummer for Baby Soda. This will be Phil’s third appearance at the Whistle Stop this month, as he played with Beantown Swing Orchestra and Baby Soda!

Phil’s concept is centered around his electrifying drumming and some hot guitar playing…this is a concept he has slowly been evolving at the Crosby Whistle Stop. His endless enthusiasm for the music is infectious and translates into a band that you won’t want to miss!

And now for something completely different:

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm – 12:30am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Those who have never tried Fried Bananas are in for a treat! Shawn Hershey has been a local favorite both on the dance floor and from the bandstand. His remarkable Lindy & Blues vocabularly makes him an awesome dancer and an excellent bandleader. He always knows a good groove and puts melody on top of everything which, for a dancer says, “play with me.”

You don’t want to miss our Dirty Water Lindy & Blues finale! It’s going to be such a great weekend of dancing, you won’t want to go back to work on Monday morning!

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm – Midnight(ish)
General Admission: $15
Sorry no passes or coupons accepted during the exchange.

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

The Great Escapade, could just put you in a reality show where you’re the star, is it a farce? Is it an adventure? Is there too much ballyhoo? Can you solve all the puzzles and win the prize? First, you’ll need to check out the Swan Boats in the Boston Public Garden at 11:30am on Sunday, Sept 25th in order to participate…form alliances, make pacts, set a course, make a strategy…there is more than one way to win, if you’re clever…and the rewards to those who participate are many…Make sure your cell phone batteries are charged and raring to go, because you’ll need it!

Saturday Blues Cafe Late Night at Springstep in Medford. Gordon Webster and his band are going to set down the perfect late night groove to cap off an exciting evening of dancing. There will be more special Boston treats as well, so you’ll have plenty of energy to make it until the very end of the evening (and you will not need to go to IHOP or anywhere else to eat in between dances).

Dancing: 1:00am- 4:30am
Admission: $15
Sorry no passes or coupons accepted during the exchange.

Springstep
98 George P. Hassett Dr.
Medford, MA

Gordon Webster probably needs very little introduction to most of you. He’s been one of most in-demand bandleaders in the swing world for quite a few years, playing everywhere from Sweden, South Korea to Australia and all points in between, including right here in Boston. We are extremely lucky he only lives 4 hours away from us in New York City, so he can easily drive up here several times a year…he and his band consider Boston as their second home base.

For Dirty Water, he’s flying in a special guest to augment his band: from New Orleans, vocalist and sax player, Aurora Nealand. We couldn’t be more excited for the verve she brings to the stage and also how well she integrates into Gordon’s oeuvre.

Tonight is “Dress to Impress”, so break out those fancy gowns & suits…we’re going to have a photo booth set up and we want you to look your best!

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm – 12:30am
General Admission: $25
Sorry no passes or coupons accepted during the exchange.

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

What a way to kick off Fall here in Boston with a Lindy & Blues Exchange celebrating our awesome swing & blues scenes…which is, in fact, the sum total of all the people here in Boston that dance, our guests, the bands, the amazing landscape and the city that we’ve put here along the banks of the River Charles! Yes, we love that Dirty Water! As it cuts scenically through our fair city. You won’t want to miss any of these dances! (see the schedule below). There are many ways you can participate!

Tickets will be available individually at the door for each dance (until we reach capacity). The Great Escapade and Piers Park events are free. And the apple picking trip and clam shack field trip you can drive to and participate at the last minute if you have a car…just meet us at Woodman’s of Essex at approximately 12:30pm on Saturday or at Russell Orchards in Ipswich at approximately 2:15pm (it’s hard to say how long it will take us to get served at Woodman’s). So come on out and be apart of this fabulous Fall weekend of dancing and Lindy Love with dancers from 17 states and 2 foreign countries!

Late Night Party at Springstep in Medford. Don’t despair, you will not go hungry in between Baby Soda and the late night. We’ve got some special Boston treats in store for you! (You will not need to go to IHOP or another 24-hr restaurant for sustenance.)

Dancing: 1:00am- 3:30am
Admission: $12
Sorry no passes or coupons accepted during the exchange.

Springstep
98 George P. Hassett Dr.
Medford, MA