It is advisable to book any event listed here in advance when possible and check with the promoter/ organiser to ensure any performance is going ahead as planned before travelling.
Dance with Duke: Nick Rossi's Jazzopaters play the Music of Duke Ellington for Dancers!
One night only! A very special Saturday night dance event with Nick Rossi's Jazzopaters playing the music of the maestro, Duke Ellington, especially for the swing dance community. Come enjoy two sets of Swing Era Ellingtonia performed by this fantastic 9-piece band, the only ensemble of its kind west of the Continental Divide. Historically, Oakland is where the Bay Area came to dance to Duke and the Dome proudly continues to tradition by presenting the Jazzopaters paying tribute to Ellington, his musicians, and his music.
Advance tickets are both limited and free. A $20-$30 donation to the band (cash or Venmo) is suggested at the door. This money will go directly to the performers and help cover pre-production costs (travel, rehearsals, music printing, etc.). A small number of free entry tickets will be set aside at the door for the evening of the event and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
This event will begin at 7 p.m. with 30 minute introduction from Nick, discussing the history of Duke Ellington's relationship with dance and the dance community. Immediately following this will be a special quick-introductory basic swing dance lesson with Sean Krazit to help ensure everyone is able to enjoy the music in this very special way: no partner or dance experience required. You'll learn how to connect with a partner, listen to the music, and dance the basic steps of Lindy Hop so you can get out on the floor all night!
Band down beat is expected at 8 p.m. with two one-hour sets of music and one brief intermission to follow.
Confirmed personnel: Patrick Wolff, alto sax & clarinet; Jacob Zimmerman, clarinet & tenor sax; Kamrin Ortiz, baritone sax & clarinet; James Dunning, trumpet; Victor Imbo, trombone; Adam Shulman, piano; Nick Rossi, guitar; Mikiya Matsuda, bass; Riley Baker, drums.
Questions? Email us here
Want to make your donation in advance? Donations gratefully accepted via PayPal (nickrossimusic@gmail.com) and Venmo (@nickrossimusic)
Please note that this is a dance performance and seating is extremely limited. If you would like to just listen to the music, we strongly encourage you to attend the group's concert in San Francisco at Mr. Tipple's Jazz Club the following evening on Sunday, August 24th.
Photo by Paulo Sentio
Monday, 25 August 2025, 01:00-04:30 (PDT)
Mr Tipple's, 39 Fell Street, San Francisco CA, United States
Nick Rossi and his Jazzopaters Play Duke Ellington
Enjoy Northern California's only ensemble wholly dedicated to the music of Duke Ellington, Nick Rossi's Jazzopaters, in this special, seated night club performance featuring special guest Jacob Zimmerman (Seattle, Wash.)! The 9 piece ensemble will present two shows of Swing Era (1936-1947) Ellingtonia at 5 p.m and 7 p.m. in this great San Francisco supper club setting. Tickets are $15-30, all ages. Great cocktails and tasty dim sum dinner menu. Both shows are expected to sell out! Advance tickets available via OpenTable.
Within the span of two very short years, the Jazzopaters have garnered international acclaim for their approach to Duke Ellington's classic material. Largely originally intended for the burgeoning juke box market at the time, these masterpieces in miniature capture the essence of the composition, arranging, and performance qualities of what continue to make Ellington the most essential of musical figures. The ensembles love for the music and attention to detail is a delight both for the musicians and the audience.
Band personnel: Patrick Wolff (alto sax & clarinet), Jacob Zimmerman (clarinet & tenor sax), Kamrin Ortiz (baritone sax, alto sax, & clarinet), James Dunning (trumpet), Victor Imbo (trombone), Adam Shulman (piano), Nick Rossi (guitar), Mikiya Matsuda (bass), Riley Baker (drums).
Tickets here.
Sunday 24 August 2025 15:00 (EDT)
Ellington Effect Workshop #54
The Flaming Sword with David Berger
About The Flaming Sword
From the same recording session as Warm Valley, it’s easy to understand Ellington’s anatomical reference. Where Warm Valley explores the gentle, loving, feminine side of life, The Flaming Sword is all about male testosterone and virility.
One of Ellington’s numerous contrafacts, the a section of this tune shares a chord progression with Stompy Jones (a swinging riff-based chart of the early 1930s) and the later Limbo Jazz, both of which are based on the chords of the universally known Happy Birthday. The Flaming Sword uses that 16-bar form as the a section of an aaba form with an original bridge in the relative minor.
In 1940 the new popular Latin line dance was the conga. Movies of the era feature Carmen Miranda with a pile of fruit on her head leading a procession of gringos around the dance floor to this infectious rhythm: 4 quarter notes and a Charleston.
Ellington’s first foray into the conga was seven months earlier when he arranged and recorded Juan Tizol’s Conga Brava with a classic Ben Webster solo and a ferocious brass soli. Conga Brava was still in the band’s book when The Flaming Sword came along. Both congas received their final recorded performances at a dance in Fargo, ND on November 7, 1940, barely three weeks after The Flaming Sword’s creation.
This short shelf life is no reflection on the quality of the music but more symptomatic of Ellington’s dilemma at this point in his long career. His fertile imagination was churning out at least a couple of new masterpieces every week in addition to vocals, instrumentals, arrangements of current pop songs, and small group charts from Billy Strayhorn. Some Ellington masterpieces from this era like Warm Valley and Ko-Ko were resurrected a decade or so later but not these two amazing congas. The music still holds up, but the dance went out of style to be replaced by the mambo, cha cha, tango, and other Latin dances.
Although The Flaming Sword is lighthearted and even comical, its structure is solid and filled with subtlety and imagination. The soloists (Williams, Tizol, Nanton, Bigard, and especially Greer) all shine in their roles. The aggressive ensemble playing has everyone in the band on their toes.
Get a ticket here, or an annual membership here.
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