Our History

The Hendersonville Swing Band, under the direction of trombonist Jerry Zink, plays music of the Big Band era of the ‘30s, ‘40s and ‘50s. The band, made up of 17 musicians, prides itself on recreating this great music and presenting it to new audiences. At present the band consists of mostly retirees and some veterans from Henderson, Transylvania, Haywood and Buncombe counties.

The current band is an outgrowth of two earlier groups which had been rehearsing and performing in Henderson County since 1983. The original organization was more of a society orchestra led by Irvin Grimm and called the Grimm Aces. In the late ‘80s, the group evolved into a small dance band called the Stardusters. Players were added to the band until about 1994 when it finally became the band it is today.

Performances

The Hendersonville Swing Band gives four to six public performances each year. With only a few exceptions, the concerts have been fundraisers for service clubs and agencies such as the following:

Interfaith Assistance Ministry
The Environmental and Conservation
Organization (ECO)
The Dispute Settlement Center
The Hendersonville Kiwanis Club
Scholarship Fund
The Hendersonville Symphony
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
Hendersonville Community MusicCenter
Thrive
Medical Loan Closet
Hendersonville Civitan Club

Although the band prefers to remain close to home in Henderson County, it has traveled as far away as Columbus to play at Tryon Estates, Tryon at the Tryon Fine Arts Center and Canton at the Colonial Theater.