Gordon Webster is coming to the Winchester Town Hall on Saturday Night at Dirty Water Lindy & Blues Exchange! This is a WHITE AS SNOW (from head to toe) Vintage Dress Party! Try to wear as much white as you can. A cravat, neck tie, pocket square, shoes, a dress! Gordon and Glenn will be sure to keep us hoppin’ all night.

Check out Gordon playing with Meschiya Lake at Dirty Water in 2012:

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm – 12:00am
General Admission: $30
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $25

Sorry no passes or coupons accepted during the exchange.

Winchester Town Hall
71 Mount Vernon Street
Winchester, MA 01890

After some serious swingin’ out with Glenn and Gordon, follow Gordon Webster over to Cambridge to soak up some sultry blues at our Friday late night blues party. Gordon and Friends will keep you dancing late into the night.

Dancing: 1:15pm – 4:30am
General Admission: $17
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $15

Sorry no passes or coupons accepted during the exchange.

Extreme Dancesport
26 New Street
Suite 3
Cambridge, MA 02138

Gordon Webster has long been a Boston favorite.  In the past few years he’s become an International Lindy Hop superstar and a must book for Exchanges, dance camps and competitions.  His Battle of the Bands against himself at this year’s Frankie 100 Celebration was off-the-hook!!

Glenn Crytzer’s Savoy Seven is the newest configuration of bands that Glenn plays with.  This 7 piece line up, with 1 trumpet, 2 reeds, and 4 piece rhythm section, really gives Glenn the opportunity to flex his muscles and have some fun as an arranger and composer.  It’s here that you’ll hear charts for all his latest compositions as well as his newest small-band arrangements of vintage classics by artists like Benny Goodman, Count Basie, John Kirby, Duke Ellington, and more. The Savoy Seven will have you in the groove and swingin’ like 1942!

Swing Lesson (included w/ admission): 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm – 12:30am
General Admission: $22
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $17

Sorry no passes or coupons accepted during the exchange.

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

We’re really excited for the Boston Swing Central debut of Miss Ida Blue.  She’s a bawdy backroom New York City Blues singer who fronts a band that is smoking red hot and swingin’ blues. The band features some musicians who are regulars in Woody Allen’s band and the Vince Giordano’s Boardwalk Empire band.  Some of these players you may have seen at the Whistle Stop before…New York City’s finest…and we’re not talking about the cops.

Blues Lesson (included w/ admission): 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm – 12:00am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

Sorry no passes or coupons accepted during the exchange.

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

BSC is excited to welcome back the Blue Vipers of Brooklyn! Trademarked by their rhythm section, led by a washboard and upright bass, these guys sure do know how to get the crowd swinging with their wide vocabulary of hot jazz tunes, ranging from the 20s and 30s, all the way to the Dixieland Era!

The band often busks on the street, plays regular gigs around New York, and buzzes around the wedding circuit so it’s a rare treat to have them travel to play for us!

Here’s a clip of the Blue Vipers playing the Dweck Center for Contemporary Culture in New York:

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm – 12:00am
General Admission: $17
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $15

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Straight out of the snowy Rockies, BSC is thrilled to welcome back Jeremy Mohney! His swing stylings, band leading, and saxophone playing were pretty impressive so we are excited to welcome him back.

Since he isn’t around these parts too often, catch him while you can!

Check out his quartet’s song “Breeze Please” below:

Lesson (included w/ 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

Drawing from beautiful forgotten tunes from the ’20s and ’30s, the SCRUB BOARD SERENADERS are Brad Lail (washboard/bones), Adam Brisbin (resonator guitar), Sean Cronin (bass) and Ricky Alexander (reeds). Although newly formed, the Serenaders already feature strong three-part vocal harmonies to go along with their distinctive washboard-driven percussive sound and street-style music.

Lesson (included w/ 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

The end of August is here and that means the start of school, cooler temperatures, Dirty Water (that’s exciting!), and the fall. No need to fret though! Let our DJs help you get some last swing outs in before the summer leaves us.

Lesson (included w/ admission): 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm – 12:00am
General Admission: $10
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $8

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Jessy Carolina & The Hot Mess is a New York City based ensemble specializing in American music from the late 1800s-1930s, primarily jazz and blues reminiscent of The Ziegfield Follies, The Great American Song Book, and early medicine shows. Led by Jessy’s unique talent for playing the washboard, the group is rounded out with the Hot Mess, which comprises of piano, banjo, guitar, woodwinds, and brass.

Despite its name, Jessy Carolina & the Hot Mess are far from sounding like one. Maybe they should try Jessy Carolina & the Hot Jazz. Either way, be sure to come out tonight to decide for yourself! If you can’t wait until the 8th, check out this clip from their last gig at the Whistle Stop last year.

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

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

The Swing Legacy, a six piece little big band has been a fixture of the Boston swing scene since 1991 and BSC since the beginning, playing with style and informed of the great big bands from the swing era. Their repertoire concentrates on classic big band swing music including many Duke Ellington and Count Basie numbers ideal for Lindy Hop and swing dancing. Much of their great catalog of songs showcases their phenomenal singer, Debby Larkin. It promises to be a night full of killer-diller arrangements that will keep you dancing all night long!

Here they are playing “Roll ’em Pete” at the Whistle Stop…

Lesson (included w/ 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

Boston Swing Central and Community Boating are proud to present Swingin’ on the Charles, a night of dancing under the stars on the banks of the Charles River. This is another summer classic you won’t want to miss. We’ll take over the docks at sunset, provide a lesson for newcomers and then we’ll dance until 11 pm.

Tickets will be available at-the-door!  Hello Beautiful Day!  This evening is going to be magical!

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Dancing: 8:00 pm – 11:0 0pm
General Admission (advance): $15
Students and Seniors (advance, with Valid ID): $13
(Rain date is Aug 16th)

Community Boating (on the banks of the Charles River between the Hatch Shell and Longfellow Bridge)
21 David Mugar Way (Charles MGH T-Stop)
Boston, MA 02114

MBTA Red Line: Get off at Charles / MGH Station. Turn left as you exit the station, and cross the road towards CVS. Turn right and cross Charles Street, heading towards the river. You will see stairs in front of you to a footbridge over Storrow Drive. Walk over the bridge; at the end, go down the stairs on your left. Walk along the path along the river toward the Hatch Shell, and Community Boating will be about 200 feet ahead, on the right.

Where to park – Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary parking lot. Please bring parking ticket to the dance for validation at a reduced rate of $7.

Validated Parking at Mass Eye & Ear is $7, please bring ticket to desk at CBI for validation.

Dan Gabel and The Abletones are a full big band, including a female vocalist, specializing in an authentic big band sound thanks to a high level of musicianship and a library of over 2,000 arrangements. Boston Swing Central is thrilled to have their 10 piece group make their BSC debut this week!

The band was founded and is led by trombonist Dan Gabel. Gabel recently returned from a year-long world tour with The Glenn Miller Orchestra as trombone player, soloist, and arranger.

Check out their authentic swingin’ sound 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

This event has been POSTPONED to its rain date of August 3rd. Hold onto your tickets, which are valid for the rain date!

The Roaring Twenties Lawn Party is an event presented by Boston Swing Central and the Trustees of the Reservation. While it is a party, it really is more than that: this is a festival, an experience and likely the event of the Summer! The event encompasses: Hot Jazz from Brooklyn’s own, Baby Soda Jazz Band, a vintage fair with clothing dealers and a very fine haberdasher, swing and Charleston dance lessons and performances, lawn games, picnicking and antique cars. And general frolicking in the sun.

The Roaring Twenties Lawn Party will take place at Castle Hill on the Crane Estate (290 Argilla Road Ipswich, MA) on Sunday, August 3rd at 3 p.m. The Lawn Party harkens back to the Jazz Age, the era in which the Crane Estate mansion at Castle Hill was built. The event will take place on the beautiful Grand Allee, a half-mile long landscaped lawn lined with statuary and hedgerows. It’s the perfect setting for an idyllic Sunday afternoon.

Boston Swing Central will start the festivities with a group swing dance lesson beginning at 3 pm, Baby Soda Jazz Band takes the stage at 4 pm and plays throughout the evening. Attendees are encouraged to come in twenties-style dress, bring a picnic supper or purchase one on-site, and spend the evening. There will be a vintage attire contest in the early evening where we will find our Great Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan.

Boston Swing Central is a dancer-formed, volunteer-run, non-profit dedicated to promoting swing dance. They hold regular dance parties every Friday at their studio in Charlestown and welcome new dancers. Please visit bostonswingcentral.org for more information.

Castle Hill, a 165-acre National Historic Landmark, was the summer home of Chicago industrialist Richard T. Crane Jr. and his family from 1910-1949. They entertained in grand style at their 59-room English-style mansion and its surrounding gardens. Now owned by The Trustees of Reservations, Castle Hill on the Crane Estate, is the perfect setting for a lawn party celebrating the music and dance from its hey-day.

Roaring Twenties Party – Crane Estate, Ipswich MA – July 2013 from Annaliese Rittershaus Brauman on Vimeo.

Rain date: August 3rd

Boston Swing Central will be welcoming back one of Boston’s best swing and blues divas, Toni Lynn Washington, this week!

Hearing Toni Lynn’s soulful voice and her deep grooves is sure to warm up the dance floor! She is a local legend, an institution, a master, and a treasure. We are thrilled to have her grace the Whistle Stop stage once again! Last time Toni Lynn played for us, we were dancing in the dead of winter but now she’s back and ready to get us moving with some summertime soul and jazz.

Check out this clip of her at a local club, Johnny D’s:

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

The Foxtet is a new six piece band led by trombonist Dan Fox and comprised of some of the best local musicians who have decades of combined experience playing for dancers. The Foxtet also features the lovely Amy Kucharik on vocals and ukulele. Fox has worked as a sideman at Boston Swing Central with Adrian Cunningham, The Lowdown Stompers, the Easy Winners and with Shawn Hershey. Expect a rock-solid beat and sweet, swinging horns playing tunes from the ’20’s and ’30’s just at the right tempos.

Joining Dan on vocals for this evening is Amy Kucharik, a singer-songwriter based in Somerville, MA known for sweet ukulele sounds and sassy lyrics, delivered with a voice and style that recall early jazz and blues performers. Amy has performed at venues in Somerville, Cambridge, and the greater Boston area as well as Philadelphia, Baltimore, Dallas and St. Louis.

We are thrilled to have Dan and his Foxtet make their live debut here at Boston Swing Central!

To hear some of Dan’s other work, click on the photo below.

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

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

We’re really excited to welcome the White Heat Sextet, a smaller version of the White Heat Swing Orchestra, led by Craig Ball on clarinet. This is one of the best big bands in the Boston area, and they’re exciting charts include the explosive hits of an era long gone. Check ’em out here, tearing it up with “Rockin’ the Blues”…

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

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Phil McGowan & the Easy Winners, BSC favorites, will be back at the Whistle Stop for another high energy gig this week. With their New Orleans inspired hot jazz tunes, they will get you out onto the floor all night! The Easy Winners always get the crowd moving when they play for us and and this Friday will be no exception! Digging deep into their catalog of hits from the past, they’ll light fire to tunes like the 1921 Eddie Cantor hit: “Margie” and Louis Armstrong’s “You Rascal You”.

Here are the Easy Winners back in March, with a high energy version of “Everybody Loves My Baby”:

Lesson (included w/ 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

To celebrate the July 4th holiday, Boston Swing Central will be holding a special Saturday dance on the 5th to help extend your All American weekend! To capture the spirit of America, we’ll be true to the red, white and blue and only play American artists like Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald and Sidney Bechet. Come on out and celebrate all that is American with American music and an American dance: the Lindy Hop!

Wear red, white, blue or all three or any combination on this night!

Lesson: 8pm to 9pm (included in price of admission)
Dancing: 9pm to 12pm
Admission: $10 General Admission, $8 for Students and Seniors

Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

We’ll be closed on Friday, July 4th. We suggest checking out the fireworks along the Charles River and dancing under them!

Instead, join us for a special dance on Saturday, July 5th!

The Swing Legacy, a six piece little big band has been a fixture of the Boston swing scene since 1991 and BSC since the beginning, playing with style and informed of the great big bands from the swing era. Their repertoire concentrates on classic big band swing music including many Duke Ellington and Count Basie numbers ideal for Lindy Hop and swing dancing. Much of their great catalog of songs showcases their phenomenal singer, Debby Larkin. It promises to be a night full of killer-diller arrangements that will keep you dancing all night long!

Here they are playing “Roll ’em Pete” at the Whistle Stop…

Lesson (included w/ 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

Who is Professor Cunningham? Perhaps the name Adrian Cunningham may ring more familiar. If you still need help, the Professor Cunningham is the woodwind extraordinaire who plays regularly with Gordon Webster, Baby Soda, and many other swing outfits. Professor Cunningham & His Old School is a Brooklyn based swing group that is focused on a New Orleans-style repertoire.

Here is the group at their CD release party back in September at the Cutting Room playing “When My Dreamboat Comes Home”:

So get ready for a great seminar of red hot trad jazz!

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

After a well received debut back in March, the Lowdown Stompers are coming back to BSC!

A dixie/swing outfit hailing from New York City, the Lowdown Stompers feature some of the best and brightest talent on the East Coast. Thoroughly rooted in the music of the 20s, 30s and 40s, the Stompers can be seen playing almost every night in the Big Apple in speakeasies, back rooms, dance halls, as well as the McKittrick Hotel (the home of Sleep No More), where they serve as the house dance band in their 6th floor restaurant.

The Stompers pride themselves in entertaining their audiences with their exciting, original arrangements. Catch their version of “Bei Mir Bitsu Shein”:

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

Boston Swing Central is excited to welcome back Glenn Crytzer! Glenn is one of the top band leaders for swing in country and when he last played for us, it was quite amazing to experience. His expert eye and hard-nosed attention to details in keeping the music as authentic as possible. Here he is performing “Grass is Always Greener” with his Syncopaters from a gig at BSC back in 2012:

Glenn Crytzer is a guitarist and band leader from Seattle who has been tearing it up at large National Lindy Hop events around the country. Glenn likes to keep things high energy and swingin’ hard and his bands feature some BSC regulars so keep your eyes open for some familiar faces!

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm – 12:00am
General Admission: $17
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $15

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

We’re really excited to welcome the White Heat Sextet, a smaller version of the White Heat Swing Orchestra, led by Craig Ball on clarinet. This is one of the best big bands in the Boston area, and they’re exciting charts include the explosive hits of an era long gone. Check ’em out here, tearing it up with “Rockin’ the Blues”…

We also recommend you check out their webpage here: here and listen to what we are sure will make you dance around the room in preparation for a fun night ahead!

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

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The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

This Memorial Day weekend marks what would have been the 100th birthday of Frankie Manning and the lindy hop community throughout the world will be spending the weekend celebrating the life and legacy of its founding father.

Frankie Manning was one of Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers in the 1930s and ’40s and the choreographer of one of the most famous lindy hop clips ever in “Hellzapoppin'” and spent the last 20 years of his life inspiring and teaching the Lindy Hop to an entire new generation of swing dancers. This includes a great many dancers who are currently dancing. As we get farther and farther away from his life, it becomes all that more important that we keep his memory and legacy alive by spreading the joy of the dance. Frankie was known throughout the world for his welcoming attitude and big smile.

We encourage dancers everywhere to take a moment this weekend to celebrate Frankie’s legacy! We will be hosting a tribute to Frankie for his 100th birthday with music DJd by Alex Abdoulaev and Andrew Selzer.

Swing Bud Films produced a short video tribute to Frankie, “Frankie Manning: Ambassador of Swing” for to dedicate to his legacy:

Frankie leads the Shim Sham:

Find out more about Frankie Manning.

Lesson (included with 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