SWAMPSCOTT — Swampscott’s community jazz orchestra, the Big Blue Band, will perform Duke Ellington’s “The Nutcracker Suite” on Dec. 14 at the Swampscott Auditorium. The event will begin at 2 p.m.
The Blue Big Band is a program from the Swampscott Senior Center; its members can participate free of charge as instrumentalists in the band or attendees at the rehearsals and concerts.
Band members make financial contributions to ensure the success of the band, and they were recently informed that the Mass Cultural Council, through the local Swampscott Cultural Council, has awarded the Blue Big Band a grant for the 2026 season. Those funds, along with ticket sales, allow the band to hire Director Timo Shanko and manage the concerts.
Shanko, a Swampscott resident and experienced jazz musician, will be at the helm playing bass and saxophone. He will be joined by various bands like The Fully Celebrated Orchestra, Dub Apocalypse, and The Slip.
He chose to highlight Duke Ellington to give the community a sense of appreciation for his work.
“Tchaikovsky’s immortal holiday classic ‘The Nutcracker’ is re-imagined by America’s greatest composer, Duke Ellington, and his protege, Billy Strayhorn,” Shanko said. “First performed in 1960, the Nutcracker marks the first occasion Duke Ellington did a suite entirely of another composer’s music. Duke and Strayhorn bring a decidedly American sound and swing to the classic.”
High School teacher JoE Douillette, who organized the band, said, “This is the band’s first ‘holiday’ concert. We hope that the familiar themes in Ellington’s ‘Nutcracker Suite’ will be an entry for audience members into this more refined style of big band music.”
The musicians who comprise the band are Aria Balliro, Owen Begin, Douillette, Deb Eames, Terry Lorber, Sara Ewing, Mathew Jensen, Erik Lawless, Terry Lorber, Chris Mancini, Michael McClung, Don McElroy, Valerie Sweeney, and Michael Walsh.
Band membership is open to anyone with a connection to Swampscott, through residency, work, or education, with three of the members being current SHS seniors.
“The Swampscott Senior Center is thrilled to have the Blue Big Band as a part of our center. The weekly practice sessions are always welcoming to the Senior Center members and we are looking forward to enjoying the concert on Sunday,” Director of Aging Services Heidi Whear said.
The admission fee is $10, though the event is free for youth and seniors.
