The band performing in Maryland.
BIG BEAT
BIG BEAT is a 19-piece big band that was formed in 2014 with one purpose - to make music that sounds good and feels good.
The band was founded by bassist Charlie Dougherty, saxophonist Phil Engsberg, trombonist Caleb Rumley and pianist Ryan Tomski. Fresh off of graduating with Master’s Degrees in Jazz Arranging from William Paterson University, the four wanted to write and arrange music for big band. The music they had in mind was steeped in the modern jazz tradition without the limitations of a particular genre. In the summer of July 2014, they began writing and collecting musicians for the project. Shortly after forming the ensemble, Canadian born vocalist Allison McKenzie was invited to join the group. Her compositions quickly became a part of the bands repertoire, as well as her powerful but lyrical voice that easily bridges the pop and jazz worlds. The group consists of 5 saxophones, 4 trombones, 4 trumpets, guitar, piano, bass, drums, vocals and a conductor.
SOUNDS GOOD, FEELS GOOD is BIG BEAT’s debut album. After launching a successful Kickstarter campaign in February 2018, the band raised $9,000 and enlisted three time Grammy Nominated trombonist/arranger Pete McGuiness to produce the record. Denise Renee, a dynamic vocalist who has worked with Stevie Wonder, Cory Henry and the Funk Apostles and Beyonce was recruited to produce vocals on the project. The album was released on September 27th, 2019.
Now that’s a group photo.
caleb's role - conductor, arranger, composer, and emcee!
Live shot from a performance with the Shady Street Show Band in Asbury Park.
To describe my role in the band, we need to go back to the very beginning. In 2013, I took my first arranging and composing class. I immediately was hooked, and by the summer of 2013 I wrote my first big band chart. My senior recital was coming up, so I naturally wanted to perform my first chart. Good things come in threes, so I decided to write two more charts in three months. To read the rest of the story, head over to my blog! Click here to read how I got started with Big Beat way back in 2013! More info about Big Beat at www.bigbeatjazz.com
Conducting at a rehearsal.