A HUGE THANK YOU!
to everyone who brought something to the Fall Harvest!

giving hand pic of donations giving hand

Y'all together provided *140 pounds!!!* of food PLUS $155 in cash to an area food bank.

COHJS has been doing this for decades, but in the 10 years that Hyla + I have been doing it this is by far + away the most generous year of them all. Thank you so much for sharing!

If you want to bring something to this December jam we'll get that to the food bank too!


Open Community Jam + Dance

holly leaf Holiday Edition! holly leaf

Wed Dec 11, 8:15 til 11 ~ Still Free!*

Dance workshop at 8:15, bandstand around 8:45

Bring your self, an instrument, dancin' shoes - let's enjoy this together!

Generally every 2nd Wed of the month - Jan 8, etc - but please check!

* Can you bring $5? Also PayPal, Venmo, debit or credit here.
Need your help to keep this every month, and Free! ... and indoors ;-)

Rambling House Music Bar, 310 E Hudson St Cbus.

Our friends + partners at Rambling House need our help to keep this going! We'll pass the Tip Jar around ... please bring a $5 bill to help with RH's expenses. If most of the "usual crowd" is willing to put in $5 that goes a long way to keeping this - and Rambling House - stable + sustainable.
Thanks so much for helping out!

dancers

Quick dance workshop at 8:15! Big ol' thank you to Shannon Varner and SwingColumbus for joining in with this part!

Always plenty of people there happy to share and help with steps, songs, and techniques.
Thanks to our friends at SwingColumbus and CBal for helping out + joining in.

100% FREE and open to the public - please help keep it this way!


~ Please Help Us Keep It Live & Local! ~

It's a perfect time to join or renew your COHJS membership for 2025!

We need your continued support to keep these good things happening - hire musicians + venues for jams and shows.

Please join or renew now online!

Or join/renew at a jam or show. Either way your membership support is VITAL to making COHJS events happen- offering decent compensation to the musicians who learn + share this great music, both at our "pro" shows and an "anchor" or 2 at our jams. Door admissions usually cover maybe 1/3 of the cost of a show. Most of the rest comes from memberships, and a bit more from a couple small grants.

For $20 a year you get $5 off the regular show admission and our newsletter - -
but what you really get is doing your bit to keep hot jazz and dance live + local!


Next Up!


Spring 2025 Show Dates

Mark Your Calendars!

All shows Sunday's 2-5, at the Clintonville Woman's Club
and hoping to have dance workshops too!

Mar 23, Apr 27, June 22



General Admission $20, COHJS Members + SwingColumbus dancers $15
Students $10, but Music educators + music students ALWAYS FREE!

Renew your membership, or join, and
get the member's reduced price of $5 admission for the show!


Last Chorus: Bob Butters, 1929 - 2024

We are saddened to report that our dear friend, amazing musician, and President Emeritus Bob Butters passed away peacefully on Apr 16. Bob was husband of Selene for 63 years, dad, grandfather + great grandfather, friend to about everybody he met; MIT engineer ... so much more. At the young age of 16 Bob won the prestigious Tommy Dorsey Trophy in the Look Magazine 1946 national swing band contest at Carnegie Hall in New York City. He led COHJS for 19 years (1995-2014), and handed it off to us in great shape for many more generations.
His full obituary is here.

Bob Butters

Bob requested that any donations be directed to COHJS in lieu of flowers.

Donate now

Bob's family hosted an open jam and dance as a celebration of his life May 18 at the Valley Dale Ballroom. His family generously welcomed the entire COHJS and wider music and dance community ... as Bob would want it. And a celebration it was! Thanks to so many who were able to attend, and to those who donated to COHJS in Bob's memory.

the bandstand at the celebration

The stage was filled with musicians from many parts of Bob's musical life- bands he played in, musicians he worked with as longtime COHJS President, musicians from our local monthly jams that Bob rarely ever missed, and two of Bob's grandsons as well. The family had Bob's silver trombone up front on the stage. Bob's son Charlie gave an opening welcome and brief remarks, then turned things over to the musicians. Sally Lukasik, leader of the Buffalo Ridge Jazz Band (in which Bob played since 1966), served as MC and led the band with grace and warmth.

The celebration ended on "When the Saints Go Marching In" starting off with a slow and soulful trombone solo remembering our friend, followed by a roll-off and kickin' into high gear in fine New Orleans style as we believe Bob would've done. At the start of the final chorus the front line stood up and a joyful wall of sound rolled out across the magnificent Valley Dale Ballroom.
It was a good farewell to a great musician and friend!


The Columbus Foundation website

COJHS is grateful for the generous support of The Columbus Foundation and the Mary Burnham Thomas Fund and the D. Randall and Patricia D. Morris Fund.


The GCAC website

And we're ALSO grateful to the The Greater Columbus Arts Council for their generous support.


The Central Ohio Hot Jazz Society is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation dedicated to enjoying and sharing traditional American jazz of the early 20th century. Comes in many styles and called by many names - traditional jazz, Dixieland jazz, classic jazz, hot jazz, New Orleans style jazz ... or San Francisco, Chicago, Kansas City, New York style jazz.
We LISTEN, PLAY, + DANCE to it, especially LIVE and NEAR HOME!

© 2012-2024, Central Ohio Hot Jazz Society