Naples Big Band Comes to Veterans Park

For more than 20 years, Naples Big Band has been entertaining Southwest Florida crowds with their big band sound spanning the swing era to the modern day, and on the Sundays of February 9 and March 23, they’ll be bringing two new swinging shows to Marco Island’s Veterans Community Park. 

Each show is free to the public, although the band does request audience donations during the intermission of their two-hour show to both offset their production expenses, and to help support their long-standing program of donating musical instruments to local school students who are aspiring musicians. 

According to Tony Calabrese, the band’s president, each free concert the band plays costs roughly $1,800 to produce. “We have to pay for rehearsal space, liability insurance, sound support, and we pay for some venues,” Calabrese said, noting that all of the players volunteer their time for each performance, in addition to at least two and a half hours of rehearsal each week. “It’s really a commitment to the music because we enjoy the music and want to keep it alive.” 

Each year, Naples Big Band works with music directors in middle schools throughout the region to identify students worthy of a musical instrument donation provided by the band and funded concert donations and, via the band’s 501(c) (3) nonprofit status, tax-exempt general donations, and sponsorships.  

“We find kids who are really talented and really committed to this but financially can’t afford their own instrument,” he said. “I like to say we’re giving the gift of music for a lifetime.” 

Naples Big Band is directed by renowned trumpeter and flugelhornist James Castaldi and is packed with professional players. The band features a 13-piece horn section, keyboard, drums, bass, and guitar, as well as a vocalist.  

Their sets feature classic tunes from composers including Count Basie, George Gershwin, Cole Porter, and Duke Ellington, with occasional swing versions of songs from modern artists including Billy Joel, Burt Bacharach, and Chuck Mangione.  

“Our slogan is that we play big band sounds with modern spirit,” Calabrese said. “We do the old stuff from the forties like ‘String of Pearls,’ ‘Tuxedo Junction,’ and ‘In the Mood,’ but we’re also going to do newer stuff that keeps the flavor of the big band, so it stays fresh. Our Marco audience won’t see the same show twice.” 

In addition to their Marco shows, Naples Big Band plays numerous public shows throughout the season at Cambier Park in downtown Naples, as well as other ticketed events, and is for hire to play private events. For more information about Naples Big Band, including their full schedule, go to www.naplesbigband.com.