We’ve all been in other bands, so why did we form Swing 7? Because the gals in the Edith Jones Project seem to have so much fun, and we all live too far from Portland, ME to join them! The Edith Jones Project is an accomplished 17-piece all-female big band, and seeing them inspired Mary to call several friends and say “let’s do this too!” We all got hooked on the different working atmosphere that results from a group of women playing together. What it comes down to is we’re all having a blast!

Aside from this rather self-serving objective, there is a larger cause that we all feel a connection to. We believe students should have good opportunities to learn swing and jazz playing in their formative years. It’s wonderful to see the development of progressive music programs in schools that provide such opportunities to kids. But we'd like to see more of these, so that young girls, in particular, need not shy away from jazz band opportunities. As mothers, aunts and teachers, we've seen them make this unfortunate choice, sometimes almost as soon as they have access to the right programs. Indeed, a look at the legions of professional and amateur musicians in the swing band genre reveals very few women to serve as role models for these fledgling students. There's no need for the younger generation to see jazz band as a “boys' sport." Jazz offers tremendous opportunities for self-expression, confidence-building and personal enjoyment! We want to help spread the word, in every way we can, that women can always play in this game too.