Put on your dancing shoes and join us for a night of swing dance, jazz, food, drinks and fun, as Tatum Langley and The Shout Section Big Band take the stage for an unforgettable night of entertainment! Featuring an opening performance by Wredling Middle School Jazz Band, and a special dance lesson by Jamie Vargo and Carl Linder of Vargo Dance Geneva.

About Tatum Langley:

You name a genre of music, and Tatum has probably sung it. An amalgamation of musical influences, Tatum Langley is a Chicago-born, raised, and based vocalist & performer specializing in big band jazz & Broadway styles. With mesmerizing vocal agility, captivating stage presence, and a voice that is certainly larger than her small build may suggest, Tatum has charmed the audiences of cozy jazz clubs & intimate cabaret venues, as well as shaken the rafters of performance halls across North America. She has recently toured the US & Canada with internationally-renowned musical sensation “Postmodern Jukebox”, and sings regularly with Chicago’s own Shout Section Big Band. She believes that telling a story, connecting with an audience, and constantly seeking discoveries while performing is the closest thing to magic in the world. Music is a celebration, a protest, a constantly breathing thing with the true power to heal & connect us all, always.

About Shout Section Big Band: 

The Shout Section Big Band was formed by Brett T. Dean in 2007. Since then, the band has been working at an ever-growing pace, entertaining audiences at swing dances, weddings, corporate events, city concerts, festivals and schools clinics all over the Midwest.  Shout Section Big Band has been featured on WGN TV, WBEZ radio, and on the nationally syndicated television show, “Vampire Diaries.” SSBB was hired by Amazon to perform 1940’s swing music for the premiere episode of the Amazon Prime series “A League of Their Own.”  Shout Section holds prestigious residencies at Chicago’s most storied venues such as Andy’s Jazz Club and Fitzgerald’s Nightclub.  The band also performs a monthly dance for the lindy-swing community at the Roxy Theater in the Chicago suburbs. The band has released four albums and has a new record due out this fall.  Rivaling some big-name orchestras in sound and staffed by some of the best musicians in the Chicago area, you’re going to love listening to and perhaps dancing to Shout Section Big Band!

About Brett T. Dean:

Brett T. Dean is the bandleader and one of the trumpet players in Shout Section Big Band.  A fan of big band music since he was a small child, Brett is a 2003 graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University where he learned about jazz style and band-leading from Thomas “Doc” Streeter.  Brett was a principal trumpet in the Wind Ensemble, a lead and section trumpet in the Jazz Ensemble and helped to create the brass ensemble.  After college Brett taught band for several years and played in local and regional bands and orchestras.  When he went to graduate school at Butler University in Indianapolis (2005-2007) Brett heard one of his professors, Mark Buselli, casually mention that musicians should work to make their “own scene” as well as working in established bands and ensembles.  The match was once again lit, and upon moving back to Chicagoland, Brett immediately formed the band that became known as Shout Section Big Band.  Since 2007, Brett has also been a band director in the Saint Charles, IL public schools, notably at Wredling Middle School and Saint Charles East High School – where he works today.

Since finding that first cassette tape of “Big Band’s Greatest Hits” in a relative’s car in the late 1980’s, Brett has dug deeply into the history, impact, style and legacy of big band music.  He believes the history of big band music is not only about the music itself, but about America “growing up.”  Big Band music is one of the first styles where bands were comprised of many races and where women were finally celebrated as composers and performers.  It represents the unique influences of America’s immigrants and citizens.  To this day, Brett thrives on working on music and with musicians.  He teaches band, jazz band and marching band at Saint Charles East High School and books dozens to hundreds of performances with Shout Section Big Band each year.  And yes, he has a very understanding wife, Danielle and children, Bennett and Olivia.