Little Ole Big Band takes on the ’40s in swing show this weekend at LTOB

NORTH BEND — It could be the last swing.

For the past four years, a small but devoted following of local fans of swing music has enjoyed the annual Little Ole Big Band show at Little Theatre on the Bay in North  Bend.

For the theater board’s tastes, that following has been too small. The show’s organizers were put on notice: If they didn’t fill the seats at this weekend’s “Any Swing Goes,” the fifth-annual show might be their last.

To make sure that doesn’t happen, they’re taking steps to broaden the show’s appeal. First and foremost is song selection. Music director Steve Simpkins looked for songs more widely known than those he’s picked for past shows, also moving from a concentration on the 1920s and ’30s to the more recognizable ’40s.

“I enjoyed seeking out obscure jazz tunes,” Simpkins said. “What the public wants to hear is tunes they know.”

Director Byrell Justice billed this year’s theme as “the Frank Sinatra era.”

“It’s like a ’40s variety show that the family would join around and listen to on the radio,” Justice said. “That was what people did for entertainment then.”

Loaded with songs by Cole Porter, the Gershwins, Johnny Mercer and more, the show features tunes such as “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “How High the Moon,” “My Funny Valentine,” “Take Five,” “Night and Day,” “Summer Wind,” and “They Can’t Take That Away.”

Organizers raised the theatrical aspect of the show with memorable costumes by Jeanne Woods and Josie Reid, particularly on the dance number “Brazil.” Singer and dancer Alyssa Birrer said the dancers couldn’t wait to try on their fruit hats.

And thanks to a new wheelchair-access ramp, the show marks the return to the stage of Anna Weidemiller.

Simpkins also expanded the show’s local ties by incorporating the work of several arrangers in the area or connected to it. Charlie Perkins of Florence, who played trumpet with the Al Hale Orchestra in Los Angeles and Jan & Dean, contributed five arrangements. Linda Sweatt, a singer in the show the past two years, did vocal arrangements for the group numbers. Other local arrangers include Simpkins and Dan McGraw.

Sweatt, a former music teacher, said she lowered the pitch of several songs to balance against idiosyncrasies in the way music was written in the show’s era. She called it a privilege to sing with the band.

“I really love to do this show, because I love swing music,” she said. “I’ve loved it since I was a kid; I’ve sung it since I was a kid.”

Simpkins said he was particularly impressed with Perkins and Sweatt’s collaboration on “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” suggesting the trio performance by Sweatt, Barbara Booth and producer Luanne May could be a showstopper.

Many other selections in the show were arranged by Dave Wolpe, who played with local musician Matt Uttal, a veteran of the Les Brown Band, which backed Bob Hope and Doris Day.

The show also includes comedy skits tailored to the time period, which are always a target of co-emcee Connie Nipgen, who serves as the “color commentator” while Jim Thorton gives background on the music.

The variety show format is much like LTOB’s perennially successful Opry, with swing music instead of country. The comparison may put Little Ole Big Band at a disadvantage in the board’s eyes, but Justice said that Opry, too, struggled in its early years in the 1980s.

“It’s a very good show, just as good if not better than Opry,” said Justice, who also counts himself as a lifelong fan of swing. “I wish more people in the community would give this show a chance.”