Lace up your dancing shoes and get ready to swing with the Junius Courtney Big Band and Denise Perrier at the Freight!  This 19-piece big band, founded in 1963 when the late trumpeter Junius Courtney moved to the By Area from his native New Orleans, has a fifty-plus year track record, members who played with the likes of Coltrane, Earl “Fatha” Hines and Cal Tdjader, and a mojo that jazz journalist Andy Gilbert states is “capable of cutting far better-known orchestras.  Look out!”

Vocalist Denise Perrier, a band member for over ten years, has an international career based on her soul, sass and formidable chops.  She jets to New York City shortly after this Freight date to headline her own show at Jazz at Lincoln Center.  Nat Courtney, bandleader, inherited the band from his father, and drives the band forward from the drum kit.  Nat will also be offering up a few tart tunes on vocals.  George “Jazbeaux Spencer” is the musical director who draws on his musical experiences with Esther Phillips, the Manhattans, Martha Reeves, Dakota Staton and a host of others.  “Jazbeaux” will also hold forth on trumpet and drums.  Special guest Erika Oba takes over the piano chair, a young lioness of the Bay Area jazz scene.

This big band delivers big fun, transporting audiences to the delirious realm of swing!  Get right out on the dance floor, or swing from the rafters and the Freight’s comfy seats!

Visit the Junius Courtney Big Band's website

Listen to a track from Junius Courtney Big Band: