Blue Heaven, a tasteful swing sextet with the big band sound, has been active in New York since 1998. Led by drummer and composer Art Lillard, the group plays swing standards, blues tunes, and music from the American songbook, by such masters as Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Jelly Roll Morton, and Lester Young, plus original tunes by Lillard and colleagues.
Blue Heaven has appeared on the CBS television soap opera, "Guiding Light;" has played for swing dancers at many venues; and released a cd, Eternal Swing, on the Soul Kid Jazz label.
Blue Heaven is: trumpet, trombone, saxophone, guitar, bass, and drums.
About Art Lillard:
A professional musician since 1970, jazz composer, arranger, bandleader, and drummer Art Lillard holds a jazz composition degree from Berklee College of Music. He leads the On Time Trio/Quartet, the Blue Heaven Swing Sextet, and the Heavenly Big Band. His CD labels include Summit Records, Soul Kid Jazz, and others.
From the liner notes of Eternal Swing:
”[The] band Blue Heaven, more so than any contemporary New York Jazz group, has been able to present an authentic cross-section of unique straight-ahead jazz music, ranging from Dixieland to bebop and beyond…
…Art’s drumming has both a steady pulse at all times, admixed with a dangerous edge that will keep you on your toes…
Regardless of whether approaching standard fare like “Bernie’s Tune” or traditional sauce of Jelly Roll Morton’s “Dixie Knows”, the listener will never get bored, as these are the types of riffs that feed you that good old rhythm that is often missing from jazz music these days. You, as the consumer of these tunes, will no doubt learn firsthand the concept of eternal swing which is truly timeless the way Art brings it forth!”
By Joey “G Clef” Cavaseno