Hot Jazz Age Frolic
Eyal Vilner Big Band

Eyal Vilner is one of the leading new voices in the New York swing and big band scene. 

Originally from Tel Aviv, the saxophonist, clarinetist, flutist, composer, and bandleader moved to New York in 2007 and started his big band the following year. 

The Eyal Vilner Big Band has been performing widely at some of New York’s landmarks such as Lincoln Center, Works & Process at the Guggenheim, The Joyce Theater, Birdland, Dizzy’s Club, Smalls Jazz Club, Minton’s Playhouse, Midsummer Night’s Swing, and Central Park SummerStage. Internationally, Vilner has performed on Israel’s most prestigious stages, including at the Red Sea Jazz Festival, Tel Aviv Museum, Jerusalem Theater, and The Tel Aviv Jazz Festival, as well as the historical La Bellevilloise, Le Duc des Lombards, and Caveau de la Huchette in France. 

The big band performs Vilner’s original compositions as well as his new arrangements of jazz classics. Their music, which derives from the tradition of jazz, swing and the blues, strives to bring a unique voice to this beautiful art form. The big band’s first six albums are: Introducing the Eyal Vilner Big Band (2011), Almost Sunrise (2015), Hanukkah (2016), Swing Out! (2019), Live in Washington Square Park! (2021), and The Jam! (2022), which received rave reviews and made it to the Top Jazz Radio Charts of the U.S. and Canada. 

To learn more about Eyal Vilner, please visit his website (eyalvilner.com). 

Imani Rousselle is a Texas-born vocalist with a love for interpreting and delivering the message of songs. Whether singing jazz standards or contemporary compositions, her voice invites you to follow along as she fills space with carefully crafted sound. She currently makes her home in New York City, having graduated the Manhattan School of Music in the spring of 2021. Prior to moving to New York, Imani studied at Columbia College Chicago, during which time she performed on many stages around Chicago including the legendary Jazz Showcase and The Green Mill, and she gained the honor of being named a Luminarts Cultural Fellow.  Since moving to New York in 2019, Rousselle has performed at the world-famous Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Clements Place, the Schomburg Center in Harlem, The Joyce Theater, and more. She has sung alongside great musicians including Stefon Harris, Casey Benjamin, Marc Carey, Jaleel Shaw, Domo Branch, Cory Henry, and Roger Boykin, and she is excited to continue expanding creatively and performing in a world with renewed fervor for connection and creation. 

To learn more about Imani Rouselle, please visit her website (https://www.imanirousselle.com). 

Gaby Cook is an esteemed, active professional in the global lindy hop community. For nearly 20 years, she been teaching and performing worldwide for events such as Herräng Dance Camp, Paris Jazz Roots, and Lindy Focus. In New York, she performs for theater, film, and is principal dancer in SW!NG OUT, produced by the Joyce Theater.  A Guggenheim Works & Process Residency recipient, her stage credits include the 50^th Anniversary Kennedy Center Celebration, BET Soul Train Awards, Jacob’s Pillow’s Inside/Out Series, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Midsummer Night Swing at Lincoln Center, and many appearances at the Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center. 

To learn more about this Gaby Cook, please visit her website (http://gabycook.com). 

Nathan Bugh is a swing-dance champion, performer, teacher, and co-creator of the Joyce Theater’s SW!NG OUT. He has performed at Carnegie Hall (Swing Swing Swing w/ New York Pops), The Apollo Theater (Swingin’ Frankie’s Way), and Jacob’s Pillow (Earthbeat!, More Forever, SW!NG OUT). Bugh dances in the film, Rebel In The Rye, and in several music videos, including the Weepies’ Be My Honey Pie. He has earned numerous first-place titles in solo jazz, lindy hop, team, invitational, slow dance, and mix/match divisions at events such as the International Lindy Hop Championships (ILHC). He was also the director and choreographer of “Yeah Man,” the 2015 ILHC Team champions. In 2016, he joined Caleb Teicher for Meet Ella, an acclaimed duet incorporating lindy hop with other jazz/theater styles. His subsequent work with Caleb Teicher & Company has helped expand the possibilities for jazz dance in concert. 

To learn more about this Nathan Bugh, please visit his website (http://www.nathanbugh.com).