When downtown Mobile rings in the new year with the MoonPie Over Mobile celebration, one of the acts on stage will be keeping a much older American tradition alive: the Mobile Big Band Society, formed to preserve and perform the music of the big band era.
Keeping the Songbook Alive
The regional musicians who make up the society play for the sheer pleasure of the craft — for themselves, for longtime fans who grew up on those melodies, and for younger listeners discovering the harmonies and romantic lyrics of the Great American Songbook for the first time. Beyond performing, the group plans to run music clinics aimed at introducing student musicians to the genre, building a next generation of big band players along the Gulf Coast.
A Deep Bench of Mobile Swing
The society’s sound carries particular resonance in Mobile, which has long savored homegrown big band music. Local audiences will remember the orchestras of Bill Lagman, Roy Choice, Bob Schultz and E.B. Coleman — and several of those players are still performing. Hosea London’s Excelsior Band and Paul Filben’s Carnival band remain touchstones of the scene, still swinging to the delight of devoted followings.
Their appearance at the New Year’s Eve celebration puts that living history front and center as Mobile closes out 2010 downtown.