Dave Banks Big Band ft. Britni Tozzi Akron's wildly popular big band returns for a swingin' return to the BLU Jazz+ stage with special guest vocalist, Britni Tozzi!

Special guest vocalist,
Britni Tozzi

The Dave Banks Big Band is a powerhouse, 17 piece, swingin’ big band based out of Akron, Ohio and is in its 20th year of making music. The band includes some of Ohio’s top jazz musicians and is led by Ohio native and 20 year Las Vegas veteran trumpet artist, Dave Banks. They have performed across the Midwest, including The Palace Theatre, Kent Stage, The Bop Stop in Cleveland, BLU Jazz+ in Akron, The Tangier Cabaret, The Carousel Dinner Theatre in Akron, Packard Music Hall in Warren, as well as many jazz clubs and major conventions in Northeast Ohio. Their vast library of music ranges from standard big band swing, to contemporary big bands, Sinatra to Buble, and even Big Band rock and soul. Dave fronts the band with his soaring trumpet, reminding audiences of the sounds of Doc Severinsen, Maynard Ferguson and Harry James. They also feature compositions by several arrangers that are associated with the band including Don Turoso, Chas Baker, Paul Ferguson, Jeremey Poparad and Dave Banks.
 
While they have been busy backing entertainers such as Las Vegas Rat Pack Shows, The Temptations, Michael Sonata, and The FlyGals in themed shows, they are also at home presenting programs that pay tribute to the top big band arrangers from both yesterday and today. The band’s ongoing mission is to provide the audience an exciting, uplifting dose of big band music, which challenges our musicians, yet keeps our audience tuned in and turned on!
 

About Dave Banks

Trumpeter & bandleader David Banks has returned to the Northeast Ohio area after a twenty-year career in Las Vegas, Nevada. He performed in over 4,000 shows there including numerous top production shows – including six years with the “City Lights” Show at the Flamingo Hilton and the “Moulin Rouge” at the Las Vegas Hilton.
 
He worked with virtually every major entertainer in show business on the famous Las Vegas Strip and also was a member of the renowned Lou Elias Relief Orchestra. He also found time to perform with the Nevada Symphony Orchestra, The Las Vegas Philharmonic, and the Nevada Chamber Orchestra.
 
Since his return to the area, David is on the faculty of Walsh Jesuit High School and is in his 15th year teaching music and drama. He is in demand as a lead trumpeter in Northeast Ohio, performing regularly with the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra, having recorded CDs with them as well as CDs for the Paul Ferguson Orchestra and Helen Welch.
 
Dave has served as Lead Trumpet in several shows at Playhouse Square, E.J. Thomas Hall, The Carousel Dinner Theatre and Porthouse Theater performing for professional productions of “Anything Goes,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Brigadoon,” “Chicago,” “Parade,” “The Producers,” “Ragtime,” “42nd Street,” “Guys and Dolls,” “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” “Hairspray,” “The Drowsy Chaperone,” “Sweet Charity,” “West Side Story,” “Swing,” and “All Shook Up.”
 

$25 (Proof of COVID-19 vaccination or 48-hour negative test required)*