ALTON – Miss Jubilee & The Humdingers returns to Alton with music from St. Louis’s history. The band will perform some rare jazz and blues from the 1920s and 30s, many of them composed and/or originally recorded in the St. Louis area, in addition to some of the Miss Jubilee standards.

Miss Jubilee & The Humdingers play at 7:00 p.m., Saturday, February 25 at Jacoby Arts Center, located at 627 E. Broadway, Alton.

“We had a blast playing our first time at Jacoby Arts Center last year and were blown away with the overwhelming turnout and awesome response from the audience,” says Dan Conner, the band’s producer and manager. 

“We’re very excited to have the blues and boogie-woogie piano player Ethan Leinwand, along with some swinging horn players and of course a driving rhythm section.” Conner is the band’s drummer.

Miss Jubilee & The Humdingers was formed in 2007 when Valerie Kirchhoff wanted to put together a “swinging high-energy” jump blues band that was authentic in presentation of 1940s and 1950s music and style. They had their first show at the legendary Casa Loma Ballroom and became an instant hit with the audience.

In late 2010, the band went through a line-up change and started to delve back into the hot jazz and blues of the 1920s and 1930s, almost becoming two bands in one with two very distinctive styles of playing.

“Most audiences seemed to like the mix, so we decided to go with it,” says Conner.

Besides Conner and Leinwand, vocalist Kirchhoff is backed by Brian Casserly on trumpet/cornet, David “Nacho” Gomez on tenor saxophone/clarinet, Kyle Butz on trombone/guitar and Michael Carvale on upright bass.

Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the door or follow the link at http://www.jacobyartscenter.org/shop. Seating is on a first-come, first-seated basis but advance ticket holders receive preferred seating. Doors open 30 minutes in advance. A cash bar is available.

About the Jacoby Arts Center

The mission of the Jacoby Arts Center is to nurture and promote the practice and appreciation of the arts through education, exhibits, cultural programs and community outreach initiatives. Jacoby Arts Center is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. The Jacoby Arts Center is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

Jacoby Arts Center, 627 E. Broadway, Alton, IL 62002 / 618-462-5222 / jacobyartscenter@gmail.com