Fabulous Studio Band - Seattle, WA - June 2009

Fabulous Studio Band plays for appreciative Seattle audience
June 15, 2009 9:44 PM

By ESTHER AVILA
FOR THE PORTERVILLE RECORDER
(Photos by Esther Avila)
SEATTLE — Porterville’s Fabulous Studio Band continued to entertain young and old alike Monday afternoon when they performed at the Seattle Center in Seattle during the seventh day of their three-state Pacific Northwest tour.
The band, under the direction of Jim Kusserow, left Porterville June 9.
“This band has performed all over the place. They’ve performed in just about every U.S. Air Force base you can think of, before the U.S. Senate, the White House and Hawaii,” Kusserow said to the crowd gathered at the food court of the Seattle Center House. “We travel a lot, always at no cost to the students.”
The audience responded favorably by cheering, whistling and clapping heartily as the band opened with “I Remember Basie” and continued with “Hello Dolly,” “Georgia on my Mind” — featuring Clark Keele on tenor sax — and “It’s Almost like being in Love,” a number which featured George Andrade on trombone and Kusserow on trumpet.
Ernie and Kathy Lassman of Seattle said they could not resist getting up to dance as the band played “Moonlight Serenade.”
“We have heard a lot of big-band music and we must say, this band is great,” Ernie Lassman said. “They are top notch. We have enjoyed listening to them.”
But big-band music was not all the band played. They also treated the audience to a few contemporary numbers from Chicago; K.C. and the Sunshine Band; and Earth, Wind and Fire.
Sitting in the audience was the McMaster family from Porterville.
“Today is my birthday,” Dawn McMaster said. “What a great way to spend my birthday. We flew into Seattle yesterday and met up with the band in Port Angeles.”
The tour is the family’s last opportunity to see her two sons, Kyle and Kory McMaster, perform with the band, she said. The boys, recent graduates of Porterville High and Porterville College, are heading to Azusa Pacific University in the fall.
Also in the audience was a young woman with two children. The three tapped their feet and danced in their seats as the band played.
“I’m their nanny,” said Shanda Gimbel of Seattle. “We were having lunch here and the music started and the children started dancing like crazy. This was great. I loved it. Big band is still a timeless sound and it is evident that it appeals to all ages. We all loved it.”
The Fabulous Studio Band continues its tour with a performance in Everett, Wash.
All photos by Esther Avila