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 read more...