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George Gee is a Chinese American swing big band leader. Born in New York City, he grew up with a fascination in the big band music of the 1930s and '40s. In 1980, he founded the retro 17-piece George Gee Swing Orchestra (formerly known as the Make-Believe Ballroom Orchestra). In 1998, he formed the ten-piece Jump, Jive & Wailers, named after the Louis Prima song "Jump, Jive an' Wail." Gee is a popular with lindy hoppers worldwide, including legendary Savoy Ballroom dancers Frankie Manning and Dawn Hampton.

Early life

A native New Yorker, George always loved music. He grew up with rock’n’roll and R&B but in his teens, he also developed a powerful passion for jazz — especially the big band styles of Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton, Benny Goodman, Cab Calloway and other legends. At renowned Stuyvesant High School, George played the double bass in the school’s jazz band, where he demonstrated an early flair for showmanship.

College years

This passion continued into 1979, his first year at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. George created a big band music hour for the school’s radio station, WRCT. Despite some who thought that this idea would not be readily accepted by college students in the early 1980s, George and his show were a hit among the station's listeners.

Early in his tenure at WRCT, the station manager asked George to interview William “Count” Basie before a campus concert on December 9, 1979. This conversation inspired George, and the next day, he reached out to fellow jazz players to create a 17-piece big band, The Make-Believe Ballroom Orchestra. The band's first performance was at CMU's Spring Carnival Talent Show, in which the band captured first place and won $24.76.

Throughout the ‘80s, George honed his craft, spreading the gospel of swing throughout the Pittsburgh tri-state region, from rowdy frat houses to black-tie society galas, corporate events, weddings and nightclubs.

Back to NYC

He returned home to New York City in 1990, and gathered top New York-based musicians — including veterans of the world’s most legendary big bands — to continue living his dream.

Music by the George Gee Orchestra sets new standards for modern big band performance, elegantly balancing genuine big band traditions with exhilarating modernism. This swingin’ versatile ensemble can deliver everything from a sweet foxtrot ballad to rock and soul party favorites to all-out rollickin’ roadhouse boogie! Whether it’s with a full complement of 17 players or the 10-piece configuration affectionately called the “economy big band,” the band is enduringly popular with jazz concert and swing dance audiences throughout the United States and around the world.

A few notable career highlights have included: Playing at Ozzy Osbourne’s 50th birthday party in Beverly Hills. Being the first modern-era swing band welcomed from the West to perform at a swing dance event in Japan. Quincy Jones summoning the band to perform for the Royal Family of Jordan. Sitting onstage at the Zurich Swing City Festival in front of an audience of 10,000. Dazzling over 12,000 music lovers during the “I Love Jazz” Festival tour in Brazil. And so many more!

George Gee has led the Tuesday night house band at Swing 46 Jazz & Supper Club in Manhattan every week since the club opened in May 1997, and the band made weekly appearances at the Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center and original Supper Club (now known as the Edison Ballroom). George’s band performs extensively for private events, weddings, parties and celebrations of all kinds. And if you want a night of without the big band, George is also happy to create a different sort of set list.

“We’ve traveled a long road – many long roads, literally and figuratively – and I’m proud to say that today, swing music, jazz and the big band art form are not only alive and well, but enjoying their widest popularity since their heydays,” George says.

As the world’s only Chinese-American swing big bandleader, George has a unique cross-cultural perspective that creates a particular interest in bridging differences among all the people worldwide who enjoy this music and the vintage context.

“I have always been proud of my Chinese-American heritage and it has always helped me stand out among a crowd (as much as there is a “crowd” of swing big bandleaders!),” George says. His performance at the Asian Pacific American Heritage Festival in New York City was a favorite orchestra appearance.

The George Gee Swing Orchestra was the first big band to play on MTV. The band was featured in an NBC-TV movie and has been spotlighted on “Entertainment Tonight,” “Live with Regis & Kathie Lee,” “Cake Boss,” “Live from Lincoln Center,” and in appearances on CNN and MSNBC. The band also provided specially scored music and made an “animated” appearance on an episode of the Fantastic Four cartoon for Marvel Comics.

George’s impact in the swing dancing revival is included in the 2016 “Alive and Kicking” feature-length film about the culture surrounding swing dance from the emergence of the Lindy Hop to the modern-day international phenomenon. George’s unique job as a band leader was featured on the Travel Channel series "Cool Jobs" broadcast in 2017.

DJ, Speaker, Historian

A passionate student of the big band era and swing music as a living art form, George is also well known for his deep knowledge of music and cultural history, and has delivered numerous fascinating history lectures to groups of swing fans or school groups. His more than three decades’ experience as a big bandleader, complemented by his relationships with top jazz and dance artists, has provided a unique understanding of the culture, lifestyle and creativity of the swingin’ life.

George is proud of his stature as an authority on swing-era music and history. He has lectured at the New School University and National Jazz Museum in Harlem, led clinics and master classes, and is a popular source for reporters, bloggers and TV productions. For example, George appeared in several segments in the two-hour 2000 Bravo TV documentary, “This Joint is Jumpin.’’ More recently, he has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and local CBS affiliates online.

George loves all big band music, even when it’s not his own band playing. His extensive collection of recordings has created a demand for his skilled DJ services at parties, dances and special events. He specializes in an “All Big Band, All The Time” format. His experiences as a bandleader transfer to his DJing, so he can flawlessly keep the music flowing and the dance floor packed. He has DJed dance parties for Yehoodi.com’s Frim Fram Jam, the New York Swing Dance Society and Lincoln Center’s Midsummer Night Swing festival in New York City; Lindygroove and Swing Camp Catalina in southern California; and for swing dance societies in Tokyo, Seoul, and Zurich.

External links

• Official Gee website
• George Gee's interview with Count Basie
• George Gee featured on The Travel Channel

DEFAULTSORT:Gee, George (bandleader) Category:Living people Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Musicians from New York (state) Category:American jazz bandleaders Category:American bandleaders Category:Lindy Hop