Sideline Swing is an 18-20 piece, Christchurch based community Big Band playing Swing (and other) tunes from the 1910s to today. As the name suggests, Sideline Swing plays predominantly swing era and swing styled music.
We like to keep things fun and light hearted in our performances, with a bit of humour whenever we can. Our members range in age across 7 decades, and our repertoire spans more than a century. Under the musical leadership of renowned trumpet player, Kaiaho “Butch” Green since 1994, Sideline Swing provide Christchurch and Canterbury audiences with lively, danceable, and fun shows, playing classic tunes from familiar favourites like Frank Sinatra, Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Ella Fitzgerald, and more. We can be heard playing for local businesses, private parties, community, and public events.
The band is a ‘big band’, so generally performs with a standard big band configuration of 18 performers, but actual numbers can vary between 15 and 25, depending on current membership and availability. Most of the sound comes from the 3 different wind instruments: Trumpets, Trombones, and Saxophones (usually having either 4 or 5 players in each section). These are driven by the engine room of the rhythm section, comprising Drums, Keyboard, Guitar, and Bass. On top of that are added vocal and instrumental solos. Some tunes call for additional or variable instruments, such as clarinet, flute, or even the Chapman Stick, so these are added as necessary.
Our members come from all walks of life, span 7 decades in age, with experience levels to match. This diverse group works together to bring a sense of fun to all of our performances. We welcome music veterans who can hit the ground dancing, and also love to mentor less experienced players, as we all had to start somewhere.
