Hello everyone! Happy New Year to you all, and here are my best wishes to you for a healthy and prosperous 2026!
I have some exciting stuff on the go, with some performances to let you know about as well. Let's get to it!
What's new?? Well, Dixie Demons co leader and trombonist Danny Douglas and I have teamed up to create a new band in the Jump Jive tradition, drawing from the enormous legacy of that wonderful style from bandleaders like Louis Jordan, Cab Calloway, Nat King Cole, Lucky Millinder plus modern bands carrying the torch like The Stray Cats, Brian Setzer and Joe Jackson.
All Hail...
Stocked with fantastic talents Spencer Evans on piano and vocals, Matt Smith on trumpet, Kyle Heide on bass and Eric Smeaton on drums, Danny and I have been working hard putting a selection of exciting arrangements together with this fun group, and we've some Eastern Ontario performances lined up to tell you about:
KINGSTON
February 19, 2026
Tir Nan Og Irish Pub (Fionn MacCool's),
Prince George Hotel,
200 Ontario Street,
Kingston, Ontario
BELLEVILLE
February 20, 2026
The Belleville Club,
210 Pinnacle Street,
Belleville, Ontario
Both performances will be in the evening.
Tickets and Reservations information will be updated soon!
Watch for more from The Crapshooters!!
West End Jazz
is excited to present the return of
Ross Wooldridge and his Tribute
to the Benny Goodman
Sextet
With special guest Robin Lea on vocals!
Sunday March 22, 2026
I am so very excited to be performing our first concert with this stellar band since before the pandemic – and what better venue than Oliver Vadas' excellent jazz series West End Jazz.
It's going to be wonderful, especially with special guest Robin Lea to sing with us!
A sumptuous dinner is part of the event, and it's recommended to get your tickets early!
Last, but most certainly not least…
More from Ross Wooldridge and his Orchestra – a new show!!
SWING INTO SPRING WITH THE MUSIC OF THE BIG BANDS!!
with Canada's Clarinet King Ross Wooldridge and his Orchestra along with vocalists Robin Lea and Chris Plock sweep into the Flato Academy Theatre in Lindsay, March 29th, 2026, for a Matinee performance guaranteed to blow the roof off!
Revel in the music and be taken back in time to when radios hummed and dance floors swung to the best swing music of all time!
Your spirits will be lifted by the greatest hits of Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller Tommy Dorsey, Harry James and more, with the sweet sounds of vocalists like Doris Day, Frank Sinatra and Ray Eberle.
This show is guaranteed to have you dancing in the aisles and begging for more, tapping your toes in delight to every fantastic phrase of such mega hits as In the Mood, Let's Dance, Opus #1, Skyliner, Begin the Beguine, Stardust, and of course, the Swing Era anthem, Sing Sing Sing!
This is a show not to be missed!
Sunday, March 29, 2026
2:00 pm Matinee
Tickets at https://www.flatoacademytheatre.com/whats-on/ross-wooldridge-and-his-orchestra?rq=Ross%20Wooldridge
