Midnight Serenaders

Riding the crest of the neo-traditional jazz craze presently occurring on the West Coast, the MIDNIGHT SERENADERS are a six-piece swing band playing regularly to enthusiastic audiences throughout the Pacific Northwest. Performing vintage pop, Hot Jazz, and Hawaiian instrumentals, as well as an expanding collection of Jazz Age-sounding original songs, these six veteran musicians strive to share their love for the music of the 1920’s, 30’s and 40’s. With an exciting stage show, tight musical arrangements, and outstanding solo and harmony vocals, MIDNIGHT SERENADERS fans include nostalgists, swing dancers, melody junkies, retro-clothing hounds, and folks who simply appreciate good quality, jubilant music.

The group released their first full length recording, “Magnolia,” in 2007; following up that effort with their CD entitled “Sweet Nothin’s” early in 2009. This latest recording, engineered by Gregg Williams (China Forbes, Quarterflash) includes several original numbers penned by ukulele-plinking chanteuse Dee Settlemier, songs which fit seamlessly into the group’s older catalog collection. The Portland Tribune has noted that the Midnight Serenaders’ “…recreation of Jazz Age swing is so convincing that it’s often difficult to differentiate between old standards and the band’s original tunes.”

Founding members Doug Sammons (guitar & vocals) and Henry Bogdan (Hawaiian Steel guitar) first met and started making music together in 2005, when they discovered a mutual appreciation for the music of country music legend Jimmie Rodgers. They were especially drawn to his jazzier pop recordings that featured horns and steel guitar. They decided to add other instruments to the mix, and also began to include more pop oriented songs from the early 20th century. Gradually the band evolved to its present formation.

With extensive experience within the Portland, Oregon jazz and swing scene, bassist Pete Lampe brought his rock-solid bass playing to the group. Garner Pruitt, vocalist and trumpet player extraordinaire, is a multi-instrumentalist and genuine jazz cat, having played with many groups from Denver to Boise to Portland. David Evans is a brilliant clarinet and saxophone player and brings to the group years of experience performing in the birthplace of jazz, New Orleans, and is a highly sought out reed man in Oregon and Washington. Multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Dee Settlemier took up the ukulele upon joining the MIDNIGHT SERENADERS, and is the resident diva and primary songwriter for the group.

The MIDNIGHT SERENADERS have recently garnered much attention. In February 2009 they were featured on Oregon Public Broadcasting’s Oregon Art Beat, they have made two separate appearances on KMHD-FM’s Homegrown Live Radio show, and the group’s recordings were highlighted on KINK-FM’s Local Music Spotlight. They have performed at various prestigious festivals throughout the region, including the Cascade Head Music Festival, the Willamette Valley Music Festival, the Think Swing Jazz & Blues Festival, the Portland Rose Festival, and the Portland Lindy Exchange. Other notable nightclub appearances include Jimmy Mak’s, Mississippi Studios, Tony Starlight’s Supper Club, the Doug Fir, and the Crystal Ballroom.

The online traditional jazz magazine, Mississippi Rag, sums it up thus: “The MIDNIGHT SERENADERS take off gracefully and flawlessly and remind us just how much plain fun this kind of music can be – a 100% important and worthy ability to be cherished and applauded.” The MIDNIGHT SERENADERS genuinely love the music they perform. They plan to continue bringing their show and music to wider audiences, and hope to fill their next recording with a vibrant batch of original songs. Let yourself be sweetly serenaded.