Bands
The Solomon Douglas Sextet and the Solomon Douglas Quartet, featuring Alison Dreyfuss
Solomon Douglas is a jazz pianist and bandleader, whose various bands have played at more than fifty exchanges, camps, workshops, and other events in North America, Asia, and Australia in the past ten years. His experience as a swing dancer and dance instructor gives him an understanding unique among musicians of the music that swing dancers and blues dancers like to dance to!
Seattle pianist Solomon Douglas started playing jazz 25 years ago, and has been performing for swing dancers for about half of that time. He leads the ten-piece Solomon Douglas Swingtet in addition to his small groups (such as the Solomon Douglas Quartet and Sextet). His music is a mixture of old-school swing, blues, and groovy swinging jazz.
Alison Dreyfuss is a young vocalist from Vermont who has been making a big splash in the Lindy Hop world over the past year and a half. She has recently performed for Lindy Hop events in and New York, Boston, DC, Virginia, Seattle, Utah, and Portland (Oregon). Her unique voice and her delightful sense of phrasing will remind some listeners of Billie Holiday and Blossom Dearie, without sounding like an imitation of anyone.
This year at SparX, we will have the Solomon Douglas Sextet swinging hard for you both nights at the main dances, and the Solomon Douglas Quartet bluesing it up at the Saturday-night after-hours dance. In addition to the piano playing of Solomon Douglas and the singing of Alison Dreyfuss, both bands will also feature guitar virtuoso Glenn Crytzer!
DJS
Brennan Bowman
During his formidable adolescent years, Brennan discovered how his feet do fly to the sound of jazz and blues. As his chest hair grew, so did his musical variety. By this he means, he'll twist your ears with tunes. From the back alley blues in Chi-town all the way to gumbo ditties of New Orleans, Brennan brings the skirts above the knees. So lend your ears and let his experienced fingers--the same from Pittstop, CUBE, Pirate Swing, and many more--guide your hat tipping and lady dipping until that sunlight says it's time for breakfast.
Andrew Selzer
Andrew Selzer started DJing for weekly dances in the college town of State College, Pennsylvania where the Penn State Swing dance club is based; but these days he hails from Boston, Massachusetts. As a Lindy Hop, Balboa, and Collegiate Shag dancer who has danced all over the globe from Paris, France to New Orleans, Louisiana he brings to the table music true to the swing era that appeals to a worldwide community.
John Paul Helveston
John has been dancing, teaching, and DJing at swing dance events for over 6 years. Since his first dance experience as a student at Virginia Tech, he has gone on to participate in dance events all over the United States and more recently Asia, including major events in Shanghai, Beijing, Taipei, Hong Kong, and Seoul. John's style is characterized first and foremost by musicality. His favorite artists include Fats Waller for his rhythmic awesomeness as well as Sidney Bechet and Ella Fitzgerald for their un-matchable lyricism.
Jay Benze
James Benze started DJing in Dayton Ohio in 2011. After having danced for a few years, he found inspration at a talk at All Balboa Weekend to start playing the music he liked, and an addiction was born. Since then, he has DJ'ed at various local and regional events, including dances in Columbus, Cincinnati, Anderson and Ball State Universities, as well as regularly for the local swing clubs. James's musical inspirations tend to draw from Fats Waller, Sydney Bechet, and Artie Shaw, with perhaps a touch of Django Reinhardt. He his overjoyed with the chance to DJ at SparX 2013.
Loreto Agdinaoay Jr.
"Lo." Cleveland. Home. DJ. Pittsburgh. Brassy. Ft. Lauderdale. Groovy. Columbus. Rhythm & Bluesy. 12 years. Cincy. 3-time DJ-battle champ. Orlando. Teacher. Ann Arbor. Funny. Chicago. Good-looking. DC. Brown. Toronto. Black. Atlanta. Well-traveled. Ottawa, CN. Well-dressed. Connecticut. Funk. Soul. Brother. Detroit. Schmmove. Canada. Brown. Japan. Old school. Indonesia. Fresh. Dallas. Word.