Uptown Swing Orchestra (10)

The Uptown Swing Orchestra (10 piece Little Big Band)

Listen to Uptowns Version of Moten Swing

The Uptown Classic Swing Orchestra was formed in 2005. The USO musical library includes both early Swing classics (Sy Oliver to Eddie Durham.) to late swing classics (Gene Kupra to Glenn Miller) The group also gives a lot of musical attention to Basie and Ellington. In 2010, the USO introduced Ms. Lindsey Holland as the new featured vocalist! We have compiled as many as 50 arrangements for her to sing! We still plan to add more titles to our vocal library and plan on recording our first vocal Big Band disc in 2011-2012.

The Uptown Swing Orchestra will be appearing at the XRIJF Monday June 13th for two shows, 7:15 and 9:15. We will be focusing on both early music and our vocal set.

"Rick brought his quartet and the little big band to our wedding and reception. He was wonderful to work with, being both receptive to our requests and knowing where to fill in the gaps with his expertise. Not to mention I could call him anytime, and he worked around our schedule. They played a tasteful mix of songs great for just listening to and a few that got everyone up on the dance floor. In the end, everyone was raving about how great the band was. We couldn''t be happier!"
-Sam and Ellie Carrell

P.S. Lindsey was amazing, the two comments I heard most were "Wow, they are great!" and "That girl can sing!"

CONCERT REVIEW: Rick Holland Uptown Orchestra at Lovin Cup By Frank De Blase ----City News

Sometimes it all just falls into place. The setting, the situation, the scene, the tone -- everything is going your way. That describes last night for me. And at the heart of this mid-week Xanadu was the Rick Holland Uptown Orchestra, a modest, brass-centric outfit led by the trumpet-blowing Holland that swung with equal parts effervescence and laid-back cool at Lovin Cup. And come to find out, five of his Hollands regular guys were sidelined, and the holes on the bandstand were plugged with subs --- hired music muscle like Po’ Boy Erik Jacobs on the slide trombone. By the time the Orchestra heaped on a helping of Count Basie, there was nowhere else I wanted to be. I dragged my mom out in the cold for this show and she was thrilled when they stomped on the Savoy. Holland led the affair with a relaxed air, coaxing more than conducting under his porkpie lid. He went around the bandstand numerous times so every cat there got his fair shake, including pianist extraordinaire Bill Dobbins. This is one sweet band, yes, yes .

The Uptown Swing Orchestra will be the headliner at the Wolcott Wine and Jazz event, in Wolcott, NY, August 6th. This performance will feature Lindsey Holland on Vocals.

Rick Holland and his band played our wedding on August 28, 2010. Rick could not have been more accommodating to my husband and my wants and needs for music at the wedding. We communicated through email, over the phone, and met with each other once to go over the details. Rick was very thorough and always set our minds at ease. During our ceremony, his quartet played us up the aisle with a romantic song and down the aisle with Fireworks which set the mood for the festive evening to begin. The cocktail hour began immediately following the ceremony and Ricks band did not miss a beat....the little big band entertained guests while they mingled and got a bite to eat. When the wedding party was ready to be announced, Rick took the microphone as we were all introduced. After the speeches were out of the way, Rick and the band let loose! With a full band and two singers, a male and a female, we partied for the next four hours! The guests were dancing, singing, and truly having a great time as did we! The band definitely made the night! The songs were exactly what we requested and the sound quality was superb. I would gladly book Rick and his band for another occasion as well as recommend them. Thanks again Rick! Erin and Mike, Victor, New York 09/2010

Amazing! Rick Holland Productions worked seamlessly with our wedding, where we had three separate "performances" that were adapted to by Ricks use of different members of the Little Big Band. We had a cocktail reception where a trio played, then a brass quartet accompanied our Wedding ceremony. After our guests were transported by horse-drawn carriage to a lake side reception site, the Little Little Big Band got things started and the full Little Big Band played the night away to the extreme pleasure of our entire party. They even let Joe Robinson jam with them in the chill of the autumn, fire-lit evening! Thank You so much Rick! Sincerely, Matthew Cooper

The Uptown Society Orchestra directed by Rick Holland performed at our wedding reception. They did a fantastic job and the music sounded beautiful! I would recommend them for any event in which you want: elegance, class, and a unique sound. They truly made our day special. -Kimberley Krummrey, Battle Creek, Michigan

Everyone thought the Uptown Society Orchestra was great. You did a wonderful job. I will certainly share your music with others! I enjoyed your music so much that I would like to listen to it more. Thank you again for doing an awesome job! Corey Portatlin, Silver Lake, MI Wedding Reception

"When we heard the Uptown Society perform at a New Years Eve concert we knew that we wanted them to play at our wedding. They had the perfect blend of jazz, swing and romantic ballads. They are excellent musicians and we were thrilled to find that they were available for our wedding. Our guests were thrilled that we hired them; we received so many compliments. Uptown Society provided a wonderful soundtrack for our storybook wedding."  Eric and Kim von Oeyen, Battle Creek, MI 

"The Uptown Society Orchestra (10 piece with Nancy Kelly) was extraordinary. Our reception had the perfect balance of the American Song-book to pop music, with the amazing sound of a Big Band. You were professional, and we have received so many compliments on our choice of music for our wedding. Thank you so much." Jeffery and Amy Bernstein, NY, NY

Like the Uptown Swing Sextet, this group also has the option of adding guitar or vocalist to any private or public event. With a repertoire of all it’s own, this group can play dances, corporate events, wedding receptions and ceremonies. (click here for a song-list)

This group was originally was a Swing era ensemble, for it owns 60 Swing Classics, transcribed from some of the Swing Era’s best ensembles. (From Count Basie to Gene Kupra)

Uptown is an exciting ensemble for those people who love the Big Band sound, and also want more than just ‘swing’ repertoire

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Quotes

From the bride: "The music was wonderful! We could not have asked for a  better band. Our guests were really impressed; the Uptown Society Orchestra really made our reception special."   

From the groom: "What a professional group. Their exceptional musicianship brought a real element of class to the party. There's nothing like the sound of a live band, and this group made our reception better than we could have hoped for."

From the father of the bride:(Dennis Nowicki): "The band was fantastic -- they really exceeded our expectations."  -- Anders Dahlberg and Stacy Nowicki, Wedding at the Chicago Art Museum

Rick Holland’s flugelhorn improvisations flow with a seasoned musician’s imagination and a hard working trumpeter’s ability to play whatever comes to mind. His piquant touches to the top of the staff (or above) from wherever he happens to be in the improvised melodic line are a great example of where daily practice can take you. His sound is attractive, in fact the sonority he gets from the flugelhorn is an essential component of the group’s impact, and his love of Chet Baker’s melodic invention is completely internalized. Holland’s ability to improvise melodically from his imagination, as opposed to fitting memorized patterns of notes into the chord, is worth careful listening. That’s the way it’s done, folks . Lazaro Vega Radio Host Blue Lake Public Radio

Amazing! Rick Holland Productions worked seamlessly with our wedding, where we had three separate "performances" that were adapted to by Ricks use of different members of the Little Big Band. We had a cocktail reception where a trio played, then a brass quartet accompanied our Wedding ceremony. After our guests were transported by horse-drawn carriage to a lake side reception site, the Little Little Big Band got things started and the full Little Big Band played the night away to the extreme pleasure of our entire party. They even let Joe Robinson jam with them in the chill of the autumn, fire-lit eveing! Thank You so much Rick! Sincerely, Matthew Cooper, Branford, Pa. 10/13/10

Rick Holland and his band played our wedding on August 28, 2010. Rick could not have been more accommodating to my husband and my wants and needs for music at the wedding. We communicated through email, over the phone, and met with each other once to go over the details. Rick was very thorough and always set our minds at ease.
During our ceremony, his quartet played us up the aisle with a romantic song and down the aisle with Fireworks which set the mood for the festive evening to begin. The cocktail hour began immediately following the ceremony and Ricks band did not miss a beat....the little big band entertained guests while they mingled and got a bite to eat. When the wedding party was ready to be announced, Rick took the microphone as we were all introduced. After the speeches were out of the way, Rick and the band let loose! With a full band and two singers, a male and a female, we partied for the next four hours! The guests were dancing, singing, and truly having a great time as did we! The band definitely made the night!
The songs were exactly what we requested and the sound quality was superb. I would gladly book Rick and his band for another occasion as well as recommend them.

Thanks again Rick!
Erin and Mike
Victor, New York 09/2010

Rick Holland and his band were tremendous. They gave a unforgettable performance to our evening festivities. This was a fundraiser for our local hospital, Chenango Memorial. The music and the Christmas Themed Silent Auction that we were holding during the evening helped make this one of the most successful events we have held. Thank you so much for coming to Norwich and making this an evening to remember. We will definitely keep Rick Holland Productions at the top of our list. -- Kathleen Coates C, Norwich, NY, 11/21/2009

"Just a short note to thank you ever so much for the great show and dance for us here at the HAG. I have waited until today to write this as we had a meeting on Wednesday and it confirmed everything that I told everyone about the upcoming show and dance. As you and the band said this was the first time you have played in a hanger and I must say, the acoustics were awesome and the sounds were great even where I was sitting. Midway through the dance you asked me for a favorite number. At the time I thought you had more than enough on your plate but how in hell did you save the song "At Last" for the very last number. It was the very song I would have requested and it took me back to my Junior and Senior days in high school. Nuf said about that. Yup, I might have had a small tear in my eye, hearing the music, you absolutely took over the song and I thank you so much for it. It made an old Marine so very happy. Again THANK YOU, Ms. KELLY, AND The Uptown Society Orchestra SO VERY MUCH FOR A TERRIFIC EVENING. ---Bob Sarge Biron, Chairman of the HAG Memories Show, 2009

Thanks Rick!

Rick brought his quintet to our "An Evening of Jazz" and put on a great show! What incredible musicianship and professionalism. Thank you so much Rick to and your guys for providing great entertainment for the people of Kendall.
Rick, it was amazing stuff. You have a great thing going.....keep up the good work. The community is better for it."
I look forward to working with you again.
Joe Pompilli, Band Director, Kendall HS