23 Years After A Fib, Morristown Jazz Fest Opener Going Strong

MORRISTOWN, NJ — Swingadelic was founded on a bit of a lie. Dave Post had been performing when an agent walked in, who said they needed a band two Saturdays from then.

"I've got a band," said Post, who did not have a band.

"What's the band's name?" the agent asked.

"Well, it's called Swingadelic."

Learn more about the Morristown Blues & Jazz Festival musicians, and enter for a chance to win a $100 gift certificate for the Morristown Partnership: Morristown Jazz & Blues Festival: The Insider's Guide

The bassist called up several musicians to get them to join the "band" on the fly, and before they knew it, they had about 20 gigs. The group has persisted since its 1998 founding, playing about 100 dates in a typical year. Swingadelic will hit the stage at noon Saturday to open the Morristown Jazz & Blues Festival.

Swing music hit a revival in the 1990s, and Swingadelic formed just as the neo-swing movement crested. Lasting in the genre since 1998 has required some versatility from Swingadelic. Even the band name — a nod to psychedelic music — gives them some liberty to span genres.

"As far as swing goes, it’s a niche of an already-niche market of jazz," Post told Patch. "So that means there’s not a lot of people out there listening. It’s just through longevity and repeat business and all the municipal jobs we do in the summer that has kept us really cooking."

When Swingadelic started, they mostly performed as a six-to-seven-piece band. But later, Post became co-owner of Maxwell's in Hoboken, giving the band a regular venue in the bar and music club.

When Post sold Maxwell's, the band moved its regular gigs to Swing 46 in New York, where they regularly performed 10-piece sets each Monday before the pandemic hit. They call themselves a "little big band."

"I would say the biggest change is that we’re now more geared toward working as a 10-to-12-piece band," Post said. "Of course, we’ll do anything from trios on, depending on where the market will be or where people want to hire you."

The pandemic paused Swingadelic's performances. But the band has been able to perform as a trio and quartet on Swing 46's patio, and their gig schedule is filling up.

"It’s picking up again," Post said. "It’s almost at the point where it was. The only exception is, we haven’t been doing the big band on a regular basis. And I don’t think we’ll be able to until the fall sometime. But that’s going to be dependent on how things roll out with the COVID business."

However, they'll have the opportunity to perform as a "little big band" at the Morristown Jazz & Blues Festival. Post will perform with alto saxophonist Audrey Welber, tenor saxophonist Michael Weisberger, baritone sax John DiSanto, trumpets Carlos Francis and John Martin, trombonists Rob Edwards and Jimmy O’Connell, guitarist Andy Riedel and drummer Colby Inzer.

Watch Swingadelic perform below:

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