Daily Inspiration: Meet The Big Band Alumni

Today we’d like to introduce you to The Big Band Alumni. They and their team shared their story with us below:

The Big Band Alumni

The Big Band Alumi was formed in 1999 by musicians who performed with the original ‘name’ bands, such as Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, Woody Herman, Count Basie, and The Les Brown Band of Renown. The band has played at the Academy Award Governor’s Ball, The Reagan Library, The U.S.S. Iowa, and opened for Tony Bennett at the Beverly Hilton. Since its founding, this 17-piece Los Angeles musical institution with its two vocalists has played weekly – over 1000 performances.

Featuring Big Band Jazz, Swing, and Classic Vocal Pop Standards, The Alumni is considered the premier Swing Big Band in Southern California. Current members have played for Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Rod Stewart, and even Lady Gaga. Vocalist Bill A. Jones was a recurring Guest Star on the TV show Glee and sang with The Glenn Miller Orchestra, and Grammy-nominated Nancy Osborne has sung with The Nelson Riddle Orchestra, Ray Anthony, and The Tex Beneke Band.

In preparation for its 2024 Silver Anniversary, this historic band has inaugurated a new monthly Sunday afternoon performance series in a very historic place – Hollywood Legion Post 43, just south of the Hollywood Bowl and just up the street from the tourist center of Hollywood and Highland.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
With the inevitable passing of time, personnel in the band has changed – as has leadership.

Randy Van Horne, whose vocal group sang the unforgettable Flintstones and Jetsons theme songs, was an early leader of the Band before he became ill and was replaced by renowned drummer Johnny Vana. Vana had been featured with the Horace Heidt Orchestra as a child performer before becoming the full-time drummer for the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra at the age of 13. He would later go on to acclaim with many other Bands and played on numerous record dates – including the iconic ‘Night Train.’

After taking on the leadership of the Band, Johnny established a Tuesday morning rehearsal that was open to the public. Those rehearsals at Las Hadas Cantina, a Northridge Mexican restaurant, become legendary, with celebrity drop-ins and crowds gathering to listen and dance. However, Las Hadas became a casualty of the pandemic, and Vana passed away shortly before COVID-19 set in – in October 2019.

New leadership from within the ranks of the band stepped forth to continue the Alumni legacy – and relocated The Alumni’s public rehearsals to the Canoga Park Elks Lodge most Tuesday mornings from 11 to 1.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
In preparation for its 25th Anniversary, the band has partnered with Historic Hollywood Post 43 for a new monthly Sunday afternoon performance series that welcomes long-time fans as well as newcomers to experience the Alumni magic.

Once a month, on a Sunday from 2 to 4, fans are musically transported to the classic Los Angeles nightclubs of yesteryear to dance or just sit and enjoy the sounds that defined the 1940s & ’50s. In addition to classic Swing and jazz instrumentals, vocalists Bill A Jones and Nancy Osborne perform the standards made famous by Sinatra, Dean, Darin, Ella, Peggy Lee, Doris Day, and more – in the room where stars like Clark Gable, Charlton Heston, Mickey Rooney, Ronald Reagan, and Gene Autry rubbed elbows.

The landmark Hollywood American Legion Post 43, with the distinctive cannon out front, is a historic 1929 Egyptian Revival architectural treasure often used for film shoots. The bar in The Cabaret Room where the band plays, was in the movie “The Shining.” In addition to bar service, there are plans to add food service – like The Cocoanut Grove, The Mocambo, Ciro’s, and other classic nightclubs of yesteryear.

Hollywood Post 43 is at 2035 North Highland Avenue, just South of The Hollywood Bowl. Free overflow Parking is available across the street in the Hollywood Heritage Museum Lot, and the Post is handicap accessible with an elevator. Entrance fee is $20 Cash at the door, but free to Post 43 Members.

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
Instituting the Sunday Series in Hollywood was a calculated risk, spearheaded by Emcee, Singer, and Co-leader Bill A. Jones.

“This band is truly unique, and people have said The Big Band Alumni is to LA what The Preservation Hall Dixieland Band is to New Orleans. But we’re not ‘top of mind’ for many. So, the thought went through my mind, ‘What if no one comes?’ But to paraphrase the great Michael Jordan about missing all the shots you don’t take – we decided to put the ball into play at this new venue and see if we scored. And truthfully, before word got out, we did have a couple of lightly attended shows – which caused a few doubts. But part of facing risk is to persevere – and we’ve totally filled the room for several months now. It looks like we’re on our way to becoming a ‘must-see’ for visitors to LA. After all, how often can you hear a Full 17-piece Big Band of legendary players performing the original arrangements Sinatra used!? Once you’ve experienced that – well, there’s nothing like it.”