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About the Band:

Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five featuring Hilary Alexander

BAND BIO:
Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five, featuring Hilary Alexander is a septet dedicated to preserving the classic and often overlooked small group swing from the late 1930’s and early 1940’s. Founded by two dedicated swing dancers and vintage lifestyle enthusiasts, and using only the best of LA’s jazz community, the Campus Five was a way to expose many dancers and listeners alike to some of the more interesting and under appreciated tunes from the swing era, while still being the most danceable band playing swing today. The Campus Five picks tunes from the books of notable small groups as the Benny Goodman Sextet, Count Basie’s Kansas City Six/Seven, Artie Shaw and his Gramercy Five, as well as the small groups of Lester Young, Illinois Jacquet, Cootie Williams, Django Reinhardt, Duke Ellington, and Coleman Hawkins, and features vocal numbers from Ella Mae Morse, Anita O’Day, Peggy Lee and the young Ella Fitzgerald.

The Campus Five is the Los Angeles swing scene's hottest new band! Over the past year, the band has played to packed dance clubs from San Diego (Champion Ballroom) to Santa Barbara (Carrillo Recreation Center) and everywhere in between. They have packed many of LA's premier swing dance venues, including the world famous Derby, Suzy Q's, Rusty's Rhythm Club, Memories, Maxwell's at the Argyle, and One O'Clock Jump. The Campus Five has co-headlined the Satin Ballroom ("America's Largest Monthly Swing Event"), and was a featured band at this May's San Diego Lindy Prom (along with Barbara Morrison, Cool Blue and Jump Jones). The Campus Five was also a featured band this summer's Camp Hollywood (along with the Swing Session, the Bill Elliot Swing Orchestra, Mora's Modern Rhythmists, and Josh Collazo and his Feetwarmers) and headlined DanceFun’s Lindy Desert Dance weekend in Laughlin. Listeners and dancers alike were delighted by our recent performance at the Sweet and Hot Jazz Festival in August. Upcoming events include the Orange County Classic Jazz Festival in 2004 and the debut of the “Jonathan Stout Orchestra, featuring Hilary Alexander”, our 13-piece big band at this November’s Satin Ballroom.

Our Debut CD, "Jammin' the Blues" was released on Valentine's Day to rave reviews from dancers and listeners alike. The album and an interview with leader Jonathan Stout was also recently featured on the KCBX radio program “Swing Cat’s Ball”. Songs from the album have been in rotation on WBNR & WLNA in New York! “Jammin’ the Blues” was selected for swingmusic.net’s new release feature and to top it off, the Campus Five’s version of “Down the Road a Piece” was featured on Chuck Cecil’s, “The Swingin’ Years” syndicated radio program during the “Then and Now” segment.

RECENT REVIEWS:
“From the very first tune on the release one is smitten with the band’s infectious rhythm and tasteful, well-played, and emotional solos...The bottom line is if you like listening to vintage Jazz and Swing music and can appreciate well-timed and placed solo work you will love this CD. And if you’re a dancer and can’t find the rhythm or tempo in this CD…. get a new instructor…or switch to Salsa.”
– Jeff Parker, host of “Parker’s Place” on KAAT-FM 103.1, and www.swingmusic.net

“In a small world of Swing dominated by a few Big Bands, and small groups playing the same old standards, the Campus Five are a welcome change and compliment to the other groups out there. With this CD (“Jammin’ the Blues”), the Campus Five have given us some great Jazz, Swing and Dance tunes that we might not otherwise get to hear, apart from the originals.”
– Jesse Gearhart, Dancer and Radio Host of “Swing Cat’s Ball” on KCBX, FM90.

“As soon as she opened her mouth on her first number, "Cow Cow Boogie", I thought "Wow!" No other singer on the current scene has such a perfect grasp of all the elements of great '40s singing: the phrasing, the right way to use vibrato, the smile in the sound, and the total absence of vocal mannerisms that were invented later.... Keep your eye on Hilary, folks - we've got a big, big talent in our midst!”
– Bill Elliott, bandleader Bill Elliott Swing Orchestra

ALL DANCE LEVELS      ALL AGES      NO PARTNER NEEDED