ZINGOLOGY

Zingology - What does it mean? Well, it means the study of zing! Or perhaps, you could think of it as the essence of pizzaz made into a poem. I suppose it relates to The Trolley Song,- "Zing, zing zing went my heart strings” made famous by Judy Garland in 1944, in the movie "Meet me in St. Louis." Or, possibly, that ineffable feeling of magic sometimes experienced on the dance floor, and elsewhere. Also, there is a precedent in other jazz groups- such as Charlie Bird Parker, who titled one of his albums, "Ornithology" and Django Reinhardt, who titled a song "Djangology" and David Grissman who titled one of his songs “Dawgology."

The very latest Zingolgy Combo musicians includes Ted Caldwell on bass, Chad Lieberman on accordion, David Flanagan on vocals, Nina Widger on vocals, Wayne Gottlieb on guitar and vocals, Brian Earle on clarinet, and Brian Keeler on guitar. The group just recorded a CD of gypsy jazz tunes called “Nuages” with the title being an homage to the iconic tune of the same name by Django Reinhart.

A recent incarnation of Zingology includes; Brian Keeler on guitar, John Young on bass, Michelle Gordon on flute, David Flanagan on vocals and guitar and Asher Hockett on trumpet.

Zingology Band is a swing/jazz combo specializing in the the Great American Songbook and tunes that accompanied the dance scene of the Savoy ballroom, and the Hot Foot Club of Paris. In a word Zingology is a vintage swing combo whose repertoire is from the era of the 1920’s through the 1940’s. The core of the group features the illustrious and powerful vocals of Greg Conlon, the smooth bass of Jason Violette, the soaring and inspired clarinet of Brian Earle, Asher Hockett’s amazing trumpet solos and Brian Keeler’s lead and rhythm guitar. The combo has other great musicians who often play at gigs including, Bob Sarachin on Piano, Ed Clute on Piano and Michelle Gordon on Flute.

Zingology Dance Troupe - The dancers also specialize in the dance of the swing era as well as other styles and have performed choreographed routines to the live music of the band. Among the dance styles the troupe performs includes. Lindy, Waltz, West Coast Swing, Salsa Rueda, Tango and Balboa. All the members of the troupe are seasoned dancers with many years of social dancing, teaching, performing and competing. Some of the dancers who have been part of the troupe are: Brian Keeler, Laura Taylor, Richard Eshelman, Lanie Wilmarth, Iska Ziver, Rick Lightbody, Carol Johnson, Sharon Hinson, Linda Graves, Julian Eng, Anneke Van Renesse, Juan and Suzie Brache, Lindy Cummings, Karen Kucharski, Ken Berard, and Mark Ruffalo.

AUDIO FILES

Autumn Leaves - 3.38mb
Black Orpheus - 3.02mb
Boulevard of Broken Dreams -2.32mb
Lady Be Good - 1.60mb
Caravan - 4.47mb
Weeping Willow Blues - 2.53
Djangology - 2.61mb
Out Of Nowhere - 3.57mb

BAND BIOS

Brian Keeler, guitar
Brian has been playing guitar for many years, but in the last decade or so he has focused his interest on swing music and specifically on the guitar playing of Django Reinhardt. He is the founder of Zingology and also plays in another combo, Sunnyside. He began playing guitar and bass in high school and for many years played with his father for wedding receptions and for a weekly gig at Towanda’s Villa Sena Restaurant. Keeler’s life pursuit however, has been painting. He is a graduate of the York Academy of Arts, York, PA and he is from nearby Wyalusing, PA. He served on the board of the Bradford County Regional Arts Council and was the founder of the North Branch Art Trail and Festival in Wyalusing and surrounding counties. For many years he was a rostered artists with the PA Council of the Arts, during which time he did art residencies at high schools in the region. Keeler has also been leading art workshops in Umbria and Tuscany in Italy for over 20 years. His inspiration for most of his art career has been the beautiful landscapes of the Susquehanna Region of Pennsylvania and the Finger Lakes area of NY. Brian likes to entertain that there is a connection between these arts, i.e., the colors of a painting can sing, the dancers can paint a rhythm with their feet and bodies, and the musicians play with colorful harmonies or even, all of life is a stage. Last year a book of his art was published by North Light Books, called Dramatic Color in the Landscape.

John Chapman, Piano
John Chapman’s ease at the keyboard and with audiences, stems from a long and varied career as a professional pianist & band leader—starting with his first jazz band in the 5th grade! For over 25 years, he has played throughout the United States, and toured in Europe and South America.He now concentrates on playing his own music both as a soloist and with his group at concerts, festivals and nightclubs throughout the north and south-eastern U.S. John also performs concerts in assisted living facilities, a practice he began when his mom entered such a facility in 2003.

Greg Conlon, Vocals
Born in Merrick, Long Island, educated at St. Bonaventure and Fordham Universities, jazz vocalist, Greg Conlon, has resided in Horseheads, NY, these past thirty years, raising a family and working as a school teacher and principal. Now retired, he is devoting his time to pursuing and sharing a long-held passion of performing The Great American Songbook. Greg’s own band, The Steppin’Out Quintet is a swinging combo composed of western New York’s finest jazz musicians. Greg is also the vocalist for the Ithaca-based Sunnyside Combo band, which specializes in swing songs from the 20’s and 30’s. He also sings with the string trio Take Three, performs regularly with the regionally famous pianist Josh Condon, and has shared the Corning Museum Auditorium stage with jazz vocalist Nancy Kelly. Greg’s regular performance venues include Maxie’s Supper Club, The Starlight Room, The Turtle Leaf Café, Centerway Square, The Harvest Café, The Oasis Dance Club, 171 CedarArts, charity events, and weddings. Focusing on ballads and swing tunes, Greg sustains an upbeat, romantic mood, paying close attention to melodies and emotionally insightful phrasing. Exploring a program laden with musical treasures, he discovers the essence of each song. Still active in his retirement, Greg is a teacher at a private, college preparatory school. “As a teacher, I feel like a performer, and as a performer, I feel like a teacher,” Greg says. “I want people to be entertained, and I want them to know of the rich and vibrant volume of The Great American Songbook."

Jason Violette, Bass
Jason Violette is a Law Clerk living and working in the central New York area. Jason graduated from the Ithaca College School of Music, and attended SUNY Buffalo Law School. Jason is currently reading the law with an attorney in Ithaca, New York. When he is not studying for the bar, Jason spends his free time studying and playing electric and acoustic bass in a variety of settings and stays active musically working with a number of different musicians in the central New York area. Jason is currently working on a project transcribing and compiling small jazz group arrangements by the late great jazz bassist Oscar Pettiford.

Michelle Gordon, Flute
Michele Gordon is a retired elementary teacher from the Addison School District in Addison, NY.
She is a free-lance flutist & performs extensively in the Southern Tier. She recently won the 2015 National Flute Association Jazz Flute Big Band Competition. She has performed in a classical duo with guitarist Christopher Mangione for over 10 years. She currently performs in a duo with jazz guitarist Dennis Wing (Matrix), and also performs in 2 trios - a flute, oboe, piano trio (3-D), and also with the AMA Flute Trio which will be performing at Mandeville Hall in Elmira in November. She adjudicates for Steuben County All County and has played in several area concert series including Thursday Morning Musicales, the Schuyler County Concert Series, and the Evenings at Trinity concert series in Elmira, NY. She also serves as Vice President in charge of Member Services on the Board of Directors for the Corning-Painted Post Civic Music Association.

DANCER BIOS

Brian Keeler
Brian Keeler has been dancing socially for many years, starting way back in 1978 when he went to a country swing lesson with his girlfriend in Tucson, AZ. After a long hiatus he became active in the Ithaca social dance scene just as the resurgence of Lindy Hop was beginning worldwide and followed by a renewal of other dances like, West Coast Swing, Balboa, Zydeco, Tango, and Salsa etc. He has been involved in several dance performance troupes in Ithaca over the years including the Lindy Mints, The Ithaca Salseros, The Balymints and the The Ithaca Walseros. He contributed to the choreography with these groups as well. He taught various social dances for many years in Towanda, Wyalusing and now in Ithaca as well.

Linda Graves
Linda Graves became an avid social dancer while working as a lawyer in Washington, DC preparing energy efficiency regulations. In DC she took lessons with acclaimed Balboa swing instructors Kate Hedin and Bobby White as well as West Coast Swing with Kenny Rossel. She has also attended many dance weekends like Lindy Focus in Asheville, NC, Swing Crash in Lake Como, Italy, All Balboa Weekend in Cleveland, OH, Tango Sutra in DC, The Boston Tea Party and many others. The Washington, DC area is a mecca for dancers as it is favored with beautiful dance venues in historic buildings such as the Spanish Ballroom at Glen Echo Park, Eastern Market, and the Colvin Run Dance Hall. Linda and her partner Brian especially delight in dancing in the piazzas of Italy wherever they encounter bands of roving musicians. Linda and Brian provide practice space for the band and the dancers in their 1865 farm house and barn which is becoming gallery space to display Brian’s classical realism art of the transcendental beauty of the Endless Mountains of Pennsylvania, New York Finger Lakes, Maine, and Italy.

Lanie Wilmarth
Even though Lanie may be Ithaca’s Bookkeeper Extraordinaire, her passion has always been about dance. As a child she danced with the Ithaca Ballet Company. Her claim to fame was starring as the ‘head rat’ in the production of the Pied Piper. As a teenager she ventured off from dancing ‘on point’ to experimenting with modern jazz. Although she enjoyed this form of dance, it wasn’t until she became an adult and discovered Swing dancing that she became truly ‘wild’ about dancing. She took a wide assortment of classes, attended dance events, and moved into teaching both ballroom and swing dance for a number of years. Her biggest joy was becoming part of The Extravadancers, a travelling performance dance troupe, that entertained at festivals and colleges. When the Extravadancers ended, Lanie became part of the salsa community and soon became part of salsa performing team! Later, while travelling in Louisiana, Lanie discovered Zydeco dance. She brought what she learned back to Ithaca and began teaching this style to the Ithaca community. Later, she joined a Zydeco band and taught dance at the breaks. All of it—lots of fun!!

Carol Lawrence
Carol Lawrence works at home as a computer programmer for The Cornell Store. She started social dancing in 2013 and is a Teacher's Assistant for Iska Ziver's Cornell Ballroom class. Some of her favorite dance styles include Waltz, Contra, Salsa and West Coast Swing. She enjoys dancing both the lead and follow roles. Carol just loves to dance, and you can find her doing some type of dancing practically every night of the week.

Iska Ziver
Iska is an avid social dancer - of ballroom, swing and Latin. She teaches social dance at Cornell University and in the Ithaca community. Professionally, she is an attorney with a solo practice in Ithaca concentrating in Family Law. She is a mediator and collaborative lawyer and also represents children. Resolving conflict is her life's work, dancing and teaching keep her happy and fit!

Sharon Kaye Hinson
Sharon began her voracious love affair with dance when she was 13 years old, an avid admiring student of her beloved mother. Over the last few years she has been studying latin, swing and ballroom at Ithaca Dance. She is the co-founder and sponsor of the Early Bird Salsa Dance Club in Ithaca. She has competed in the Novice level at the Boston Tea Party swing dance event in 2015. Sharon has been a lifelong Cardiac Nurse, currently at Cayuga Medical Center in Ithaca, New York.

Richard Eshelman
Richard has been involved in social and performance dance since his days at Penn State when he was a member of the PSU ballroom dance club. Richard has taught ballroom and swing at BOSCES in Ithaca for a number of years. Over my 30 year of living in Ithaca, he was a long time participant in a ballroom performance team from Binghamton and involved in numerous swing choreographies by Cindy Overstreet. Richard was also involved in a Salsa Rueda performance group, the Ithaca Salseros for a number of years as well. Richard is retired from Cornell, but still active doing performance dancing, most recently with the International West Coast Swing Flash Mob and now with this performance group organized by Brian Keeler, a long time friend and
dance colleague.

Rick Lightbody
Rick began social dancing in earnest a little over ten years ago. He enjoys many forms of dance, including salsa and other styles of Latin dance, East and West Coast swing, contra and square dance, international folk dance, and various forms of the waltz, which he's particularly passionate about. He teaches rotary and cross-step waltz and is a teaching assistant for several other types of dance. He has recently begun studying ballroom and Argentine tango. When he's not dancing, he likes to immerse himself in nature study and photography. (Some of his photos can be seen at his website: www.ricklightbody.com .) He also likes to hike, to explore, and to attend various music and ethnic festivals. Rick graduated from Cornell University, where he studied philosophy and film, and he worked in the media and IT departments at the Cornell University Library for many years.