Burning River Swing at Bainbridge Swing Dance

Burning River Swing plays live at the Bainbridge Swing Dance on Saturday, 7th of September 2024. Burning River Swing is a new Cleveland-based band that performs swing, hot jazz, blues, and Parisian Jazz. Each member of the band has been performing music separately for many years. Combined on stage they really catch fire! Burning River Swing features soulful vocals, virtuosic violin, swinging guitar, and driving bass. This band strives to combine American flare with European class. Singing a combination of American and French standards from Edith Piaf to Elvis Presley. From Louis Armstrong to Charles Trenet and everywhere in between.

Kara Scott is a classically trained vocalist from Florida. She started out performing in operas around Cleveland and at Playhouse Square, but her lifelong love for jazz eventually took over. She has been singing different styles of jazz in small groups and big bands for a decade. Her inspirations are Ella Fitzgerald, Tatiana Eva-Marie, and Sammy Rae. Kara is also an east coast swing dancer and has attended Bainbridge Swing dances before, so she is excited for the opportunity to be providing the music this time around!

Greg Smith graduated from Baldwin Wallace Conservatory in 2014 and Bowling Green State University in 2022 with a graduate degree in Music Teaching and Artistry. After college Greg began to explore non-classical string playing and was inspired to play swing violin by classic artists like Stephane Grapelli and Stuff Smith. Greg has studied jazz violin with some of the finest European players at Django in June, a music camp in Massachusetts. He is a high school orchestra teacher at Elyria High School.

Steve Wright is a guitar player in the greater Cleveland and Akron music scene. He has been playing since the age of 12 and has been in many groups throughout his music career. These include a solo act, The Scenic Route cover band, Old Brooklyn, Reginleif and Cereal Banter. He's also played both guitar and bass to sold out shows at BluJazz in Akron as part of The Cabaret Project.

Ian Kinnaman is a sought-after bass player in the Cleveland jazz scene. He has a degree in Music Education from Youngstown State University and regularly performs with the Cleveland based Italian Folk band, Alla Boara. Ian loves to work with students of all ages, teaching piano and bass in his private studio. He also loves to experiment with new original music and debuted in the Ian Kinnaman Project at the Bop Stop last fall in Cleveland.

Owen Davis grew up in a small town in Northeast Ohio, where he began playing percussion at an early age. His love for music led him to pursue a degree in Jazz Performance at the Dana School of Music under the direction of Dr. Glenn Schaft at Youngstown State University. During his time at Youngstown, he performed on stage with several jazz legends including: Jamey Aebersold, Harold Danko and Néstor Torres. As a teacher, Owen has taught students from Cleveland and Pennsylvania. He has led several high school drumlines in the Youngstown area as well as the drumline for the University of Clarion in Clarion, Pennsylvania. He has also been a private lesson instructor for several years and now actively teaches at the School of Rock in Cleveland, Ohio. In 2022 Davis began touring with The Vindys, in venues such as UPMC Arena, the Capitol Theatre, Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre, Hotel Cafe, Stage AE, Goodyear Theater and Cleveland’s House of Blues. The Vindys have also made appearances at: The Wonder Festivals, Hometown Holidays, and the Paw Paw Festivals. Some of the artists he has opened for include: Marcus King, Donnie Iris, Ann Wilson of Heart, ZZ Top, and Pat Benetar, who the Vindys will be joining on a US national tour summer 2024.

A different live band performs at the Bainbridge Swing Dance the first Saturday of every month at Family Life Center (16349 Chillicothe Road, Chagrin Falls, OH 44023). Doors open at 7:30pm. Lesson (included with admission) at 8pm. Dance and live music 9-11pm.

Admission (cash or personal check, we do not yet accept credit cards):

$10 per child (12 years and under)

$15 per person (13+ years)

$40 per family (up to 2 parents and minor children in same household)