February is always a very special month for the band, as it's our official birth-month.
In February 2008, while attending classes at Johnson County Community College, in Overland Park, KS, 19 year old Alex Abramovitz, and classmate Wayne Alexander (42 years), began rehearsing in Wayne's basement. The material the two worked on came from a variety of sources, including Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, and the Great American Songbook. Alex began working, almost right away, to book performances for the band. The band's first performance would be at the Johnson County Community College Student Recitals the following May, where the "Dynamic Jazz Duo", as they began to bill themselves, performed Joseph Zawinul's "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy". In the past decade, the band has seen much change. Membership in the group has changed drastically, with many faces coming and going, with each person bringing their own unique voice to create a new blend of Kansas City swing. The band also has changed course; whereas the band presented a more "west coast" feel in the first half of the decade, the later half has been "hot" as the group dedicates itself to highlighting the swing and jump styles of the town they call home - Kansas City. The band has also received much recognition, being named Kansas City's Best Band (Pitch Magazine) in 2017, and Alex has been in the running for Kansas City's Best Jazz Artist (4th - 2016, 3rd (Tie) - 2017). The group has also recorded two albums, Scamp's Alley (2014 - Tantrumn Niche Records), and Ripe Off the Vine! (2015 - Alex Abramovitz Proudctions), the later of which also took home an award. As we look forward to the next decade and what is in store, it is with great excitement and hope that we remain highly optimistic. Many new opportunities are presenting themselves and we look forward to what the years may bring. So let's raise a glass of Kansas City's finest to a decade gone-by, and another for the decade to come. Thank you Kansas City for your support, and always remember, "If it ain't Swing'n, it ain't jazz!"
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AA Swing'n KC Jazz
Alex Abramovitz and His Swing'n Kansas City Jazz Band was first established in 2008. Their goal is to preserve the heritage of Kansas City Jazz through performance and entertainment. Archives
July 2019
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