One of the most popular local swing bands will be performing at the Mission in San Juan Capistrano on July 7. "Pete Jacobs and His Wartime Radio Revue Swing Orchestra," based in Irvine, will delight the audience with some toe-tapping and dance music with such hits as "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," "Chattanooga Choo-Choo," "In the Mood."
Jacobs and his 16-piece orchestra have also been invited to appear at Lincoln Center in New York City on July 17 in the Center's evening, "Midsummer Night Swing" series at the outdoor Josie Robertson Plaza.
They will also be appearing locally at the Woodbury Center in Irvine on Sunday, July 22.
Jacobs, the band's founder and orchestra leader, talks about how his swing orchestra got started.
- Q: What is the official birth date of the orchestra?
- A: We had our first rehearsal on the day after Thanksgiving 1997. I got a group of people together, threw together five arrangements of songs and within one week our piano player's daughter arranged for our band to play at her high school for a swing dance fundraiser. The date was Jan. 17, 1998.
- Q: How did you come up with the name – "Wartime Radio Revue Swing Orchestra?"
- A: I wanted the name to really describe what the band sounded like. Most of the old movies from the '30s and '40s, the actors are listening to their favorite music on the radio. Our music is the music of World War II; it takes people back to those simpler times. I just combined the terms "wartime" and "radio," and it sounded good.
- Q: Which bands do you emulate?
- A: Benny Goodman, The Andrew Sisters, Count Basie, Tommy Dorsey, Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller.
- Q: Are your arrangements of the classic swing numbers exact replicas of the originals or do you put your own spin on them?
- A: I try to play them exactly like they would have sounded when they were first played… There have been people, now in their 80s who have told us, "I shut my eyes and I'm back in the Palomar Ballroom dancing to Tommy Dorsey again."
- Q: What has been your favorite gig?
- A: Catalina Casino Ballroom. The history of this ballroom is incredible, having hosted so many great big bands of the '40s. Every time I step on that stage, I realize there are a lot of "ghosts" in the room and they all swing!
- Q: Was it a longtime dream of yours to have a swing orchestra?
- A: I've always loved big band swing since I first played it in my high school jazz band (Claremont High School, Class of 1969). But I didn't see how it could actually work out as a reality until the swing craze began to catch fire in the mid '90s. All of a sudden the music that I had loved all my life was undergoing an underground rebirth. Once I saw that people of all ages were bringing back the old style of swing dancing, I jumped right in. I saw the beginnings of live music/dance and I knew I could create something that would be fun and viable.
What: "Music Under the Stars," Pete Jacobs and His Wartime Radio Revue Swing Orchestra
When:7 p.m. Saturday, July 7
Where: Mission San Juan Capistrano, 26801 Ortega Hwy.
Tickets: $19 general admission
Order tickets: 949-234-1321 or www.missionsjc.com
