Don’t rain on his parade!
The last time swinging bandleader George Gee tried to perform at the free outdoor summer concert series On Stage at Kingsborough in 2013, rain forced him and his band to play inside.
But the George Gee Swing Orchestra has a return engagement this year on July 4, and Gee couldn’t be more excited to boogie-woogie his way onto the outside stage — and hopefully stay there this time!
“Playing outdoors in New York during the summer season is the highlight of our schedule,” Gee said, “It’s always great.” To celebrate Independence Day, Gee plans to perform good ol’ American swing, with a step and a dip towards the patriotic side. The set will feature jazzed-up versions of the “Armed Forces Salute” and “Stars and Stripes Forever,” along with Gee’s specialty of World War II-era swing tunes.
The performance kicks off the annual On Stage At Kingsborough concert series, a month of jazz and big band artists that has been drawing crowds since 1972.
“[The concerts] are like a musical gift,” said Anna Becker, the executive director of On Stage at Kingsborough. “There’s always a great turnout and it’s like a reunion for the community.”
The biggest attraction of the concerts, which happen in the shadow of Kingsborough’s famed lighthouse, is the opportunity to cut a rug (or possibly the grass) under the stars.
“What we found from the community is that people are looking to come out and dance,” said Becker.
Gee, who has been performing at jazz clubs for 35 years, has a simple goal for the audience at his show.
“We just want to keep them swinging and happy and enjoying swing jazz,” he said.
His latest album is appropriately titled “Swing Makes You Happy.”
“That’s our motto,” Gee said, “I hope to use my big band music to make people happy.”
George Gee Swing Orchestra at On Stage At Kingsborough [2001 Oriental Blvd. at Oxford Street in Manhattan Beach, www.onsta
