Classic big-band melodies, harmonies and rhythms will reverberate throughout downtown Brentwood on Thursday, Aug. 23 beginning at 6 p.m. as the city’s Downtown Thursdays series rolls along. Accompanied by the weekly car show, street dining and jumpy houses for the kids, the Summerset Big Band’s two-hour performance on First Street is sure to get the crowd swingin’.

The band was formed in 2006 by two Summerset residents driven to revive the sounds of the famous big bands of the 1930s and ’40s. From a group of eight founding musicians, the band has grown to the traditional 16. Its repertoire now encompassses more than 130 songs popularized by iconic ensembles as Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Harry James. In recent years the band has added songs from more contemporary bands such as Chicago, The Beatles, and Blood, Sweat and Tears.

A highlight of the Summerset Big Band experience is drummer and male vocalist Michael Spellman, who specializes in the songs of Frank Sinatra. From “The Lady is a Tramp” to “New York, New York,” Spellman vividly captures The Chairman’s distinctive sound and style.

Mark your calendars for Veterans Day – Sunday, Nov. 11 – when the Summerset Big Band appears with the Summerset Singers at Antioch’s El Campanil Theater to honor our nation’s armed forces. The program includes “Stars and Stripes Forever,” “Battle Hymn of the Republic” and “Armed Forces Salute.” Tickets are available on the theater’s website, www.elcampaniltheater.com.

For more information about the Downtown Thursday weekly events, call Peggie Schuitemaker at 925-858-6693 or visit