THE OPUS ONE BIG BAND, led by Chester Whitmore, is an 18-piece orchestra recreating the hot Big Band and jazz sounds from the 1920s to the 1940s. Their material includes many popular tunes from the Cotton Club and the Savoy Ballroom, with musical sources such as Duke Ellington, Jimmy Lunceford, Count Basie, Chick Webb and Cab Calloway.
Like their idols from the old swing era, this is not a sedate, nice dinner crowd Big Band. Opus One does not make appearances dripping with sentimental grease and political correctness --Opus One is unleashed! Known for a usually, shall we say -- flamboyant, stage show, these musicians will play wild solos, compete for your attention, prance around on stage, parade on the dance floor -- and, on occasion, even place their leader in a guillotine.
© The Satin Ballroom, 1999. Edited by: Reinhard Kargl