The Classic
Big Band is an organization of professional musicians and dedicated
amateurs that plays for dances at the Richfield American Legion twice
each month. The band also plays at other locations in and around the Twin
Cities. The Classic Big Band and The Nostalgics
vocal quartet were featured at the 2001 and 2002
Glenn Miller Festival in Clarinda, Iowa.
In June, 2002, the Classic Big Band and the Nostalgics Vocal Quartet
released their first CD, Sing It! Swing It!, with 17 songs, including
"Elmer's Tune," from whose lyrics the CD title is derived.
Dan
Odegaard,
leader of the Classic Big Band, played a muted solo while trumpeter Dan
Tetzlaff looked on. Trumpeter Cindy Stille is in the background.
Praise for the Classic Big Band:
"After
hearing the Classic Big Band and the Nostalgics at the 2001 Glenn
Miller Festival in Clarinda, I wrote to a friend in England, the
secretary of the Glenn Miller Appreciation Society.
I told him that your band was by far the best I had ever heard
in recreating the sound of the original Glenn Miller band."
--- Ken Tidwell, Belen, New Mexico
The band performed
at the Richfield American Legion on Veteran's Day, 2000. Guitarist James
Allen is in the center, with drummer Dick Reimer at the left.
Glen
Newton, piano,
and Donna Furst, string bass, rounded out the rhythm section.
The
Nostalgics sang with the Classic Big Band at the St. Paul Radisson City
Center Ballroom on New Year's Eve, 2002.
The Classic Big Band and the Nostalgics perform regularly at the Knights of
Columbus Hall, 1114 West 79th Street in Bloomington. They also perform at the
Richfield Legion, Wabasha Street Caves, Medina Ballroom, and Golden Valley VFW.
For schedule updates, call the Nostalgics information line: (612) 827-3173.
Special WWII USO and 1940's Hit Parade shows are available. For booking information,
call band leader Dan Odegaard: (651) 633-0239.
To order Sing It! Swing It!, which features such classics as Chattanooga
Choo Choo, Sleepy Lagoon, Take It, I've Got You Under My Skin, Boogie Woogie
Bugle Boy, Why Don't You Do Right, Traffic Jam, and many more, call Reeves or
Sandy Cary at (612) 861-4907 or email rcary82547@aol.com.
