Big Band Swing: A Walk on the Wild Side at The Appel Room

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What To ExpectA swing and hot jazz big-band performance featuring storytelling and music.Interconnected stories about Chicago and Kansas City of the 1920s and 1930s, brought to life through the iconic music of the era.The Riley Mulherkar Big Band returns to The Appel Room with an exclusive new program exploring the wild sides of Chicago and Kansas City during the 1920s and 1930s. The story will be brought to life with live musical performances of songs by Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, Benny Goodman, Mary Lou Williams, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings, Count Basie, Benny Moten, Lester Young, Charlie Parker, Bix Beiderbecke, and more.A soon-to-be announced guest actor will narrate a script written for the event by five-time Emmy Award–winning writer and historian Geoffrey Ward, best known for his extensive work with documentarian Ken Burns.As Ward notes, “Jazz may have been born in New Orleans, but it lived through its colorful teen-aged years in two other wide-open cities: Chicago and Kansas City.” At the intersection of the gambling, crooked mayors allied with Al Capone, larger-than-life arts patrons, and an abundance of great music, it was “excitement from noon to noon!”Immerse yourself in a fresh look at these interconnected stories while enjoying one of the best young big bands around.