Swing shift

   The year could be 1943, in the middle of World War II and the Big Band era. The Michael Andrew Orchestra, all dressed in black tie, is playing a smooth rendition of Glenn Miller's “In the Mood.”

    A few minutes later, it could be the 1950s. Front man and lead singer Michael Andrew croons Cole Porter's “I've Got You Under My Skin.” His singing style reflects an admiration for Frank Sinatra. Soon, Andrew sings a song of his own, “The Lady with the Big Cigar.” The rhythm section grooves to a modern back beat. The guests start to dance.

    Still smooth, but with a bit more “pop” to his phrasing, Andrew sings:

    She won't take no for an answer. She knows just what she needs. And if you are a dancer, my baby always leads.

    She doesn't sound like the kind of girl Ol' Blue Eyes sang about.

    It's not the '50s anymore. It's 1997 at a holiday staff party, and the men and women of the Michael Andrew Orchestra have the partygoers juking to modern swing.

    Andrew says his goal, learned from several years of singing at the Rainbow Room supper club in New York, is to start these party evenings off with the laid-back standards as guests arrive and get their food. As the night progresses, the music gets more ``jump.'' By the end of the night, if the dance floor isn't full, Andrew isn't happy.

    The style is becoming an alternative music with the club circuit. It combines a horn section driving the music of the '40s and '50s with a high-energy swing rhythm that's particularly suitable to dancing.

    When they have their druthers, Andrew and the band ditch the bowties and perform the new music as Swingerhead at The Strip in downtown Orlando on Thursday nights. On Dec. 30, they play at Barbarella, an alternative club in downtown Orlando.

    The next night, the band will head south to Naples on the Gulf Coast for a New Year's Eve concert at The Registry Resort. Swingerhead will melt into the background as the members of the Michael Andrew Orchestra don bowties and black evening gowns and create a classic Big Band sound. At midnight they will certainly play ``Auld Lang Syne,'' with or without a backbeat.

A version of this story appeared in the Orlando Sentinel in December, 1997