At The Improv Cafe’, we’re not just a jazz station. We’re a sanctuary for the timeless pulse of live Big Band, Swing, Jazz, and Vocal Jazz. And we mean live — every song we spin is the live version, capturing the raw, spontaneous magic of the stage, the sweat of the bandstand, and the unfiltered electricity of the moment. It’s not background noise. It’s a full-body experience. And in 2025, we’re thrilled to see that the music we live for is still alive and swingin’ — across generations, genres, and even gaming consoles.
Here’s what’s making noise in the Big Band and Swing world this month:
🎺 Live from the ’40s: The New Deal Swing Band Brings WWII-Era Vibes to Provo
History swings back into the spotlight as the New Deal Swing Band headlines a free concert in Provo, Utah, hosted by the city’s Freedom Festival. This isn’t just a nod to nostalgia — it’s a full-blown celebration of the music that carried us through the war years.
Expect live renditions of Duke Ellington’s hypnotic orchestrations, Count Basie’s syncopated strut, and Glenn Miller’s unmistakable brass-driven bounce. With Lindy and the Hops setting the dance floor ablaze and the mesmerizing vocals of Kimberly Woods, this concert is a love letter to the 1930s and ‘40s — an era when the big bands ruled the airwaves and swing ruled the hearts.
It’s proof that the golden age of swing isn’t stuck in the past — it’s alive on the stage, breathing through every note, and ready for the next generation of fans.
🎸 Ana Popovic Turns Up the Heat with a Funked-Out Big Band Project
Blues-rock guitar queen Ana Popovic is stepping into the brass section with her new “Fantastafunk” Big Band Project, and it’s already turning heads on the festival circuit. Merging the soulful grit of funk with the classic wall-of-sound energy of a big band, Popovic is bringing a fresh, fiery twist to the genre — and doing it all live.
You can catch her ensemble lighting up stages this summer at major jazz festivals across the country. This is big band reimagined, not watered down. And with Ana leading the charge, it’s got swagger, substance, and a whole lot of swing.
🎮 The 8-Bit Big Band: Grammy-Winning Swing Meets Super Mario
What happens when jazz musicians reimagine video game soundtracks with the power and precision of a full big band? You get The 8-Bit Big Band, a collective of top-tier musicians flipping the script on game music.
They’ve already won a Grammy for their take on Meta Knight’s Revenge from Kirby Super Star, and they’re not slowing down. Their latest work continues to bring new audiences into the world of swing, proving once again that great arrangements and powerful brass sections know no genre boundaries. It’s a different kind of nostalgia — and a whole new gateway to the music we love here at The Improv Cafe’.
🕺 Swing Revival Still Kicking: From the ’90s to Now
If you remember the late-’90s swing explosion — Squirrel Nut Zippers, Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy — you know the sound never truly disappeared. It just evolved. Those bands helped pull the genre out of the archives and back into the clubs and dance halls.
And now, decades later, that revival spirit continues with modern jazz orchestras, indie big band projects, viral swing dance videos, and college ensembles keeping the sound alive in packed halls across the country. It’s not just retro. It’s timeless. And it belongs just as much in 2025 as it did in 1945.
🗓️ Tonight on The Improv Cafe’: Swingin’ With Big Bands
Don’t miss tonight’s Swingin’ With Big Bands radio show — your front-row seat to the greatest live big band performances ever recorded. From Basie to Buddy Rich, Ella to Anita O’Day, it’s wall-to-wall brass, rhythm, and swing, all live and all night.
🎙️ Showtime: 8 PM EST
📡 Only on The Improv Cafe’ — where every track is the live version, the solos are spontaneous, and the energy is real.
🎷 Why It Matters — And Why We’ll Never Stop Playing It Live
Big band and swing music aren’t relics. They’re living traditions — full of joy, struggle, improvisation, and legacy. Whether it’s a free concert in Utah, a funky reinvention by a blues icon, or a jazz orchestra covering Zelda themes, this genre continues to evolve without losing what made it special.
Here at The Improv Cafe’, we’ll keep doing our part: playing only live performances, celebrating every sizzling sax solo and every crackling high note, and spotlighting the legends and newcomers who make this music so thrilling.
So grab a drink, kick back, and tune in. The band is warming up. The floor is open. And the swing never stops.
🎶 Live Jazz, Big Band, Swing, and Vocal Jazz — Only the Live Versions. Only on The Improv Cafe’.