John Holte (December 10, 1943 – January 8, 2003) was an American musician, who led the West Coast Swing Band revival of the 1970s by creating the New Deal Rhythm Band in Seattle in 1972. He played reeds and also wrote arrangements. He later created other Seattle Big Bands and was active in the Seattle music scene up to his death.
New Deal Rhythm Band
Holte created the New Deal Rhythm Band in Seattle in 1972. First playing at the Inside Passage tavern in Seattle.
[Armbruster, Kurt, Seattle Before it Rocked, pages 296-97, University of Washington Press, Seattle and London] The band's first singer was Phil Shallat. Also in the original line up were Ron Nations and Louie Healy (reeds), Craig Schroeder (trumpet), Mark Larson (drums), Lon Alsman (bass) and Bill Owens (guitar),
The filmmaker Larry Stair, in 1973, made a short film about
Joe Venuti titled
Thank You Joe that featured Venuti appearing with the New Deal Rhythm Band at the District Tavern in Seattle. The band at that time featured Michael Trullinger on drums. After Phil Shallat left the band in 1974 he was replaced by the singer
Cheryl Bentyne. October 20 to November 1 they played the Greenwood Inn in Beaverton, Oregon.
[Oregonian, Portland, page 51, October 31, 1975, display ad "Carter Hotels Presents"] Shortly after that Jerry Ranger joined the band, taking the place of John Holte. In July 1976, The New Deal Rhythm Band, led by Jerry Ranger, were at the Center Four Lounge of the Ramada Inn in Portland, Oregon.
[Oregonian, Portland, "New Deal Band Makes '40s Style Live Again"by John Wendeborn] Under the leadership of Jerry Ranger the New Deal Rhythm Band went national, touring across America, and recording three LPs.
Cheryl Bentyne left the group to join the Manhattan Transfer in 1979.
After Bentyne left the group the singer Mary Cleere Haran sang with the band in 1979 playing casinos in Nevada and Texas.
[For Mary Cleere Haran, It's Now a Helluva Town
San Francisco Chronicle (CA) (Published as THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE) - July 3, 1988
Author/Byline: Gerald NachmanEdition: SUNDAYSection: SUNDAY DATEBOOKPage: 17Column: SHOWBIZ]
Swingland Express
After leaving the New Deal Rhythm Band, Holte formed a new big band, The Swingland Express, featuring the singer Odessa Swan.
In February, 1976, Swingland Express was featured in a fund raiser for the NW Film Center as part of a gala event of film and performance at the Portland Art Museum. The 1937 film Shall We Dance, starring
Fred Astaire and
Ginger Rogers, was screened. It was followed by Swingland Express playing for listening and dancing.
[Oregonian (Published as The Oregonian) - February 20, 1976
Page: 29 "Flashback to 30's via Music and Film Sets Party Mood at Art Museum" by Barbara Jordan : Portland, Oregon] Swingland Express featured Jeff Hughes on cornet, Ronnie Pierce and John Draper on reeds, and Buck Evans on piano. In May 1976 Hughes, and Evans as "The Big Two," and also as part of the "Salmon City Seven," and finally as part of the Swingland Express, performed on
KBOO radio.
[Oregonian (Published as The Sunday Oregonian) - May 9, 1976
Page: 102, Radio Highlights: Portland, Oregon] The band got a Summer long booking at the Windjammer restaurant in Seattle in 1976 adding the singer Howard Hays.
[Swinging With the Swingland Express, Ed Baker, The Seattle Times, July 30, 1976] In the fall of 1976 it began an extended Monday night gig at the G Note Tavern at 300 N 85th St in Seattle.
[The Seattle Times, Display ad "Dance to the Sensational Swingland Express" October 22, 1976] In March 1977 Jeff Hughes and the Swingland Express performed on
KBOO radio on the "Mouldy Figge" show hosted by Val Golding.
[Oregonian (Published as The Sunday Oregonian) - March 20, 1977
Page: 190, Radio Highlights: Portland, Oregon] In 1977 it gigged around the Pacific Northwest including stops at the Earth Tavern in Portland, Oregon.
[Oregonian, Portland - February 14, 1977, "Dixieland Jazz Folks to Romp" by John Wendeborn] Swingland Express disbanded in 1980 when Jeff Hughes moved back to Boston for grad school. Hughes later played in Ray Smith's Paramount Jazz Band, as well as The Canal Street Jazz Band in Madrid, Spain, and recorded with the Riverside Jazz Band, all the time working as a member of the research staff of the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole.
[Group revives traditional jazz
Republican, The (Springfield, MA) (Published as Sunday Republican (Springfield, MA)) - February 20, 2000
Author/Byline: CLIFTON J. NOBLE JR.; STAFF, Sunday Republican (Springfield)Edition: ALLSection: LEISUREPage: F01] Odessa Swan continued her career as a Seattle jazz singer appearing with Dr. Roscoe and the Red Hots,
[Selected Radio Features for Sunday Listening, no byline, The Seattle Times, January 14. 1979] Johnny Draper's Jive Bombers
[Nightlife, no byline, The Seattle Times, Jay 4, 1979] and her group, Le Jazz Hot
[Makalu Mountainters Look Ma, No Sherpa, Carole Beers, The Seattle Times, March 31, 81]
The John Holte Swing Band
In 1979 Holte formed The John Holte Swing band featuring the singer
Dennis Nyback. On May 13 it began an extended Sunday night gig at the University Towers Hotel.
[Seattle Times, Carole Beers, Natale is Tops at Holiday Inn, 3/11/79] The University Tower Hotel had opened as the Edmond Meany Hotelin 1931. It is 16 stories high and one of few large examples Art Deco left in Seattle, it is currently called the Hotel Deca.
On November 18 it began an extended Sunday night gig at the Old Ballard Firehouse, 5429 Russell Ave NW.
[Seattle Times, Carole Beers, Entertainers Heat Up the Firehouse, 11/16/79] In On February 28, 1980 the band began a year long Thursday night gig at the Norselander (300 3rd Ave West) Seattle.
[Seattle Times, Carole Beers, Science Center Looking For Chairs YOu Can Sink Your Teeth Into, 2/27/80][Seattle Times, Carole Beers, Where to Go Dancin if Swing is Your Thing, 3/12/81] It played The Bite of Seattle in 1986.
[CENTER IS BRACING FOR ITS FIRST BITE OF SEATTLE - BUT WITHOUT GREEN LAKE'S AMBIANCE, THE ANNUAL CULINARY EXTRAVAGANZA JUST WON'T BE THE SAME
Seattle Times, The (WA) (Published as THE SEATTLE TIMES) - July 13, 1986
Author/Byline: JOHN HINTERBERGEREdition: SUNDAYSection: ARTS, ENTERTAINMENTPage: L1Column: JOHN HINTERBERGER] The 1984 edition of the John Holte Swing Band featured the guitarist Michael Powers. It played
Bumbershoot in 1986, 1987 and 1988.
[BUMBERSHOOT
Seattle Times, The (WA) (Published as THE SEATTLE TIMES) - August 29, 1986
Edition: THIRDSection: TEMPOPage: 18][STARTING LINEUP FOR BUMBERSHOOTHide
Seattle Times, The (WA) (Published as THE SEATTLE TIMES) - September 2, 1987
Edition: THIRDSection: SCENEPage: E4][BUMBERSHOOT - CRITICS PICK FAVORITES FROM 500 PERFORMANCE EVENTS
Seattle Times, The (WA) (Published as THE SEATTLE TIMES) - September 2, 1988
Edition: THIRDSection: TEMPOPage: 19]
The Radio Rhythm Orchestra
In the late 1980s, Holte created his last big band, The Radio Rhythm Orchestra. In the Spring of 1992 it had an extended engagement at Night Mary's, a club on Capital Hill, in Seattle, featuring the singer Maureen Mershon.
[NIGHT MARY'S OFFERS SOME DREAMY MUSIC
Seattle Times, The (WA) (Published as THE SEATTLE TIMES) - May 22, 1992
Author/Byline: TOM PHALENEdition: FINALSection: TEMPOPage: 9Column: ACE OF CLUBS] He led the Radio Rhythm Orechestra up to his death. The band is still active and is currently being led by the bass player Pete Leinonen.
A CD of John Holte music, dating back to 1979, was released in 2005. It features Holte with his big bands and also in small combo settings.
The current edition of the Radio Rhythm Orchestra features many of Holtes original arrangements including "Deco Rhythm," "At the Mummy's Ball." "Emerald City Boogie," "Blue Flame Jump," and many others.
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