The Sophisticated Swingers Orchestra was started in the early 1980s by the late Paul Stroud, who was also the founder and long-time coordinator of what is now Paul Stroud Concerts by the River, which rightfully bears his name. Paul and other musicians in the North Alabama area had the desire to keep the great swing and big band music of the ‘30s, ‘40s and ‘50s alive and available for enjoyment by all. If you listen to the Swingers, you will hear tunes by such legends as Glenn Miller, the Dorseys, Basie, Ellington, W.C. Handy, Sinatra, and the incomparable Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong. Today, the band’s repertoire has expanded into ‘50s and ‘60s rock ‘n roll and rhythm & blues, as well as some classic country hits, and they are always open to requests if you have something you would like to hear.

 

Rocket City Jazz Orchestra (RCJO) has been delivering exciting big band swing, jazz,
and contemporary music to enthusiastic audiences in Alabama and Tennessee for
nearly 20 years. The group’s broad repertoire includes traditional favorites from the
Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, and Count Basie bands along with modern arrangements
of songs made popular by the Beatles, Michael Buble, and Queen.

The band began its musical life as the TBD Band, featured at the October 2002 Big
Band Bash at the Princess Theatre in Decatur. Over the years Rocket City Jazz
Orchestra has performed at Birmingham’s City Stages, Decatur’s Concerts By The
River, as well as at Huntsville’s Concerts In The Park, Jazz-N-June, Panoply of the Arts, and Sunday Jazz In The Park.