The Atlanta Blue Notes

Our standard repertoire includes the likes of Stan Kenton, Count Basie, and Duke Ellington. The Atlanta Blue Notes Big Band is a group of local musicians dedicated to the performance, preservation and advancement of big-band jazz and the fabulous traditions of dance bands from the big-band era which, by the way, we believe is alive and well today and living in bands like ours and lots of middle schools, high schools and colleges. We rehearse and perform selections from bands like Glenn Miller,Tommy Dorsey, Count Basie, Artie Shaw, Stan Kenton, Les Brown and also music from more contemporary bands like Buddy Rich, Henry Mancini, Woody Herman and Maynard Ferguson. We also have some original arrangements and compositions from current or former members of the band, or from friends and acquaintences of the band members. One of our goals is to continue to look for new and exciting material, as well as to play tunes and arrangements from bands of the past. Our “concert jazz book” has grown extensively and we play a wide variey of great big-band jazz and swing music in jazz concerts. In addition, the band performs a wide variety of dance styles – cha cha, rhumba, samba, tango, waltz, polka – and just plain old swing for great ballroom dancing, and even some driving rock, once in a while. This band has got to have fun playing or “We Quit”, and we think our audiences and dancers have a great time, too. The Atlanta Blue Notes Big Band was founded in the fall of 1986 when Bob Bailey, Charlie Devon and several others separated from a rehearsal band known as The Vintage Band and formed the current organization. The earliest dated record of a performance by the band is from October 25, 1987, but there were probably some gigs before then whose set list was not saved. “The Archives” of the band consists of all (or most) of the set lists, advertisements and flyers used for performances by the big-band. Carl Nalls joined the band in the fall of 1990 to fill the lead trombone chair and took over the Music Director duties in early 1991. The “Executive Committee” for the band consists of Bill Sigglekow who handles bookings and business stuff, and Carl Nalls who handles personnel, maintains the library, rehearses the band, kicks off the tempos and carries the stands, books and lights to all our rehearsals and gigs. The band is available for engagements in the Atlanta metro area to bring a special touch of elegance to any occasion, large or small, playing the fantastic music that truly says “Let’s Dance”.