Led
by creator, producer and Juilliard-trained pianist and conductor Bud Forrest, the
19-member company performs songs made famous by Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey,
Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, Harry James, Erskine Hawkins, the Andrews Sisters,
Frank Sinatra and other idols of the Swing era. The late Vic Schoen, the show’s
primary arranger, created the arrangements for the legendary Andrews Sisters.
“In
the Mood” has recreated the Swing era with amazing choreography, nostalgic
costumes and unforgettable songs, such as “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” “Boogie
Woogie Bugle Boy (of Company B),” “In the Mood,” “Moonlight Serenade,” “Tuxedo
Junction,” “Sing, Sing, Sing” and many more.
Originally
from Long Island, New York, Forrest started playing piano when he was eight
years old, and basically hasn’t stopped since. “I had good piano teachers, and
I had a faculty member from Juilliard come to my house for five years,” he
said.
After
attending Ithaca College in upstate New York, Forrest auditioned for and became
the pianist for the Singing Sergeants, the official chorus of the United States
Air Force in Washington, D.C. While he was in the Air Force, Forrest worked on
his Master’s degree.
“In
1988, I decided to put together a singing group, when I focused on the music of
the Andrews Sisters,” he said. “I got three young ladies and we just started
performing around town. We had the ‘Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,’ but we didn’t
have a trumpet player. So the next thing I know I had a nine-piece band.”
In
1988, Forrest was thinking about forming a vocal group, and he latched on to
the music of the Andrews Sisters because he felt they had the most energy and
the most style. “I wanted to try and replicate that – but of course nobody can
be the Andrews Sisters,” he said. “But I just felt that the whole big band era
was very special in the history of American music.”
“In
the Mood” evolved over a five-year period, and has kept growing and growing
every year since. In 1993, the band was asked to perform on the steps of the
National Archives, as part of their commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of
World War II. At that point, Forrest had a 17-piece band and four singers.
“We
had 5,000 people show up that night,” he said. “The audience and some of the
folks from the headquarters of the USO came to us and said, ‘Let’s do more
shows like this and work together.’ So in 1994 I started touring, never
thinking that in 2015 I’d still be doing this.”
Being
in Washington, D.C., Forrest had access to all the military musicians, some of
which have since retired and are still with him today. All other musicians are
recommendations from different states across the country, including Michigan,
Virginia, and Washington.
“I
audition the singers in New York every year,” Forrest said. “I travel with the
show, conduct the orchestra, and play the piano, which is unusual for the
producer of the show to be in the show. But I try to keep everything in order
as best as I can.”
The
best way to describe “In the Mood” is as a variety show. There is no story to
“In the Mood” but the music is what the story becomes. Forrest picks out songs
that say something, as the lyrics basically do the talking.
“Each
year I change the show about 30 percent based upon the quality of the
musicians,” he said. “I feature a trumpet player or a trombone player, and the
singers, with a tenor or baritone. I have to do ‘Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,’ ‘Tuxedo
Junction,’ and of course ‘In the Mood.’ It’s a show that’s patriotic,
nostalgic, romantic, and it’s jazzy and brassy – which is how we advertise it.
It’s all happening at the same time.”
The
songs performed by “In the Mood” were written by some of the greatest songwriters
of our time, such as Hoagy Carmichael, Frank Loesser, Oscar Hammerstein, and
Harold Arlen. They are classic timeless melodies blended with lyrics – saying
something that touches people’s lives.
“When
you add the big band to it, you get the energy of the trumpets and the
trombones and the saxophones and the rhythm section, and then you have
something that’s very unique,” Forrest said. “You can argue that the 1940s was
the most significant decade of the 20th century, because of World War II
certainly, but just what it meant to Americans. The times were simpler, and the
‘Greatest Generation’ got its name for a reason.”
Older
audience members who attend “In the Mood” have not heard these songs in years and
it brings back many pleasant memories for them, touching them in many different
ways. Almost everyone remembers a person or a place by a song, and this show is
certain to trigger memories for a lot of people.
“What’s
really nice about it is we get lots of generations coming – we get the
grandmother to the baby-boomers and their grandchildren all coming to the show
together,” Forrest said. “And then they go home and they talk about it.”
Because
they travel all around the country, the band sees a lot of regional
differences. Like politicians, they have a great snapshot of America, and see
true American spirit everywhere they go.
“We
spread a good feeling about our country, and we also honor all veterans in our
show, from World War II to today’s veterans,” Forrest said. “So we encourage
audiences to come out and say thank you to those that served our country. It’s
a very important part of our show.”
After
every performance, Forrest greets people in the lobby and constantly takes
suggestions from patrons of songs they would like to hear in the show. To be
able to experience different people and different cultures and get up on the
stage and have fun with the music has been an absolute thrill for him.
It’s
a family show – I always tell everybody it’s for kids 8-98,” he said. “We get
people crying, especially the World War II generation. But for even their kids,
the baby-boomers, we evoke lots of emotions from this music. I think it’s
universally accepted that they just are thrilled to see the quality of this
show.”
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