ABOUT US
Jonathan Stout and Hilary Alexander joined forces in 2002 to bring only the most authentic and danceable swing music to dancers and jazz fans. As dancers themselves, Jonathan and Hilary provide a uniquely first-hand perspective on the interaction of Swing music and Swing dance.
JONATHAN STOUT AND HIS CAMPUS FIVE, FEATURING HILARY ALEXANDER
Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five, featuring Hilary Alexander is the nation’s premier swing dance band. Showcasing the small-group sound of the late 1930’s and early 1940’s, the Campus Five is the most danceable swing band anywhere. The 7-piece Campus Five captures the true sound of the Swing-era, with all the energy and excitement that inspired millions to dance. Influences include the Benny Goodman Sextet, Artie Shaw's Grammercy Five, and Count Basie's Kansas City Six.
Both founders are dedicated swing dancers, and the relationship between Swing music and Swing dance informs all aspects of the Campus Five. Song selection, tempo, song length and feel are all chosen with danceability in mind. The Campus Five’s three albums, “Jammin’ the Blues”, “Crazy Rhythm”, and “Moppin’ and Boppin’,” are favorites of Swing DJs and Swing Dance Instructors all over the globe. The Campus Five have been featured at many of the premier Swing dance events around the world, and are known for their unparalleled competition music, inspiring dancers to new heights.
Here’s a partial list of the swing dance events the Campus Five have been featured at:
Camp Hollywood / National Jitterbug Championship (Los Angeles)
London Balboa Festival (UK)
International Lindy Hop Championships (Washington, DC)
Great Southwest Lindyfest (Houston)
Camp Jitterbug (Seattle)
All Balboa Weekend (Cleveland)
DCLX (Washington, DC)
Rocky Mountain Balboa Blowout (Denver)
Balboa Rendezvous (San Diego, CA).
The Campus Five was also one of the select groups asked to play at Frankie 95, the once-in-a-lifetime celebration of the life of Lindy Hop legend Frankie Manning.
The Campus Five also play regularly for corporate, municipal, festival, private and wedding clients, including:
IBM
NBC
Pacific Life
Speedo
Los Angeles Music Center
Culver City Music Festival
Jazz at the Paseo (Pasadena)
Ventura Lemon Fest
Ventura Music Festival
Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Law School
University of Southern California
Sweet and Hot Jazz Festival (Los Angeles)
Orange County Classic Jazz Festival
THE JONATHAN STOUT ORCHESTRA, FEATURING HILARY ALEXANDER
The Jonathan Stout Orchestra, featuring Hilary Alexander is the nation’s premier swing dance big band. Like an upsized version of the Campus Five, the Orchestra showcases the big band sound of the late 1930’s and early 1940’s, and is the most danceable big band anywhere. The 15-piece Orchestra captures the unmatched excitement and true rhythmic pulse of the Swing-era. The band follows the templates of Benny Goodman and Count Basie – orchestras that are aggressive and tight, and filled with all-star soloists that bring the fire on every song, regardless of tempo.
The Orchestra was founded because promoters demanded a full big band that was as danceable and exciting as the Campus Five. Jonathan and Hilary responded with a big band that was designed to be the ultimate swing dance orchestra. Like the Campus Five, the Orchestra has the true the sound and feel of the Swing-era, because that is what makes real Swing music so danceable in the first place.
The Orchestra has been featured at Swing dance events across the country: (partial list)
Camp Hollywood / National Jitterbug Championships (Los Angeles)
Lincoln Center’s Midsummer Night Swing (NYC)
Rhythmic Arts Festival (San Diego)
All Balboa Weekend (Cleveland)
Balboa Rendezvous (San Diego)
Festival and municipal events have included:
Sweet and Hot Jazz Festival
Culver City Music Festival
Downtown Anahamein Summer Music Festival
JONATHAN STOUT AND HIS RHYTHM BUSTERS, FEATURING HILARY ALEXANDER
Jonathan Stout and his Rhythm Busters, featuring Hilary Alexander is the newest band from the Campus Five family, and it focuses on the rollicking sound of big bands of the early 1930's, just prior to the Swing-era. The Rhythm Busters is an 11-piece band that takes the authentic Hot Jazz sound of bands like Jimmie Lunceford, Fetcher Henderson and Chick Webb, and presents them in the most danceable way possible, without sacrificing any of the fire or excitement the Campus Five and Orchestra are known for.
The Rhythm Busters were created because promoters wanted another flavor, but one that keeps the unmatched danceability and contest music of our other bands.
Jonathan Stout is a bandleader and guitarist specializing in pre-bebop acoustic and electric jazz guitar. As a guitarist, Jonathan draws from the many and varied styles of pre-bebop jazz guitar, including the rhythm guitar of Freddie Green, the electric single-note style of Charlie Christian, the block-chords of Allan Reuss, and the gypsy-jazz of Django Reinhardt. Jonathan also writes a noted blog on swing guitar (now found on this website). Beside playing in his own bands, Jonathan also plays with the Bonebrake Syncopators (led by DJ Bonebrake of the band X), and has played guitar for Mora’s Modern Rhythmists, , the Dean Mora Orchestra, Jim Ziegler’s Swingsations, Josh Collazo and his Feetwarmers, Bill Elliott, Johnny Crawford, and Solomon Douglas. He played on Jeremy Wakefield's 2005 Album, "Steel Guitar Caviar" (Ecco-Fonic). Jonathan plays Eastman guitars.
As a dancer, Jonathan is proud to have learned from such original masters Ann Mills, Hal Takier, Freda Angela, and Bart Bartolo. Jonthan danced on the first place team at the 2002 National Jitterbug Championships. Because of his experience as a dancer, Jonathan is uniquely suited to understand the interaction between Swing music and dance.
As a bandleader, Jonathan has studied the authentic sound of the Swing-era, and how that differs from the styles of jazz that came before and after. Armed with this knowledge, Jonathan has given many musicality classes at dance events, using a live band to demonstrate the differences between Swing, pre-Swing Hot Jazz, and post-Swing straight-ahead jazz.
As a student of the era, Jonathan has also branched out to study swing drumming, based on eight years of first-hand observations of only the best Swing drummers, Josh Collazo and Hal Smith. Jonathan has played drums for Stompy Jones, Mora’s Modern Swingtet, Dave Stuckey’s Gut Bucket 5, and Carl Sonny Leyland.
Jonathan has also DJed at swing dance events, including Camp Hollywood, Lindy Groove, and Camp Jitterbug. When DJing, Jonathan brings the same focus on authentic Swing music and unmatched danceability.
Hilary Alexander is the co-bandleader and vocalist for all of the bands in the Campus Five family. Hilary was raised as the daughter of Jazz pianist and a Brazilian samba dancer. She attended NewYork City’s Professional Children’s School, along with many child stars. Growing up, she was surrounded by the sounds of jazz vocalists Anita O’Day, Betty Carter, Ella Fitzgerald, Ella Mae Morse, and Blossom Dearie. She brings an authentic smooth style in the spirit of her favorite vocalists. She has been a featured guest vocalist with the Bill Elliott Swing Orchestra and Mora’s Modern Rhythmists.
As a dancer, Hilary was among the group of Los Angeles-area dancers that rediscovered Dean Collins-style Lindy Hop and Balboa in the late 1990’s. Growing out of her love of Swing dance, Hilary founded Camp Hollywood in 1998, and it has grown into one of the world’s premier Swing dance events, drawing over 1,000 dancers, including dancers from five continents and 30 countries. Camp Hollywood is celebrating its 13th year.
As a DJ, Hilary has spun at Lindy Groove, Camp Jitterbug, and Rusty’s Rhythm Club, as well as carefully handpicking only the best recorded competition music for all of the contests at Camp Hollywood.