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Nuvo Magazine Review: A testament to Ellington's 'It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing' is the stamp of the seven-piece Cool City Swing Band, directed by pianist/leader Roy Geesa. The band is now 6 years old....since adding vocalist Shannon Forsell, the band has performed more in public. They have recorded their first CD, I Love Being Here With You, with American Cabaret Theater stagemates Forsell and Jimmy Guilford handling the vocals..... ...Cool City's I Love Being Here With You CD is right on the money with this release. Not only does it swing, it is satisfying and soothingly fun with the band's tight, crisp and sparkling arrangements and energetic vocals from Forsell and Guilford. Forsell sings on 10 of the 16 tracks; she is especially impressive on the ballads. Guilford's five decades of performing come through on his polished vocal renderings of ballads and humor on his four tracks. Both singers come up with a humorous duet on 'Shoo Be Do Be.' The CD's one instrumental salutes the television theme song from American Bandstand. - Nuvo Magazine - Music Review by Chuck Workman Some of Indy's finest have combined to make a swinging tribute to some of the great tunes of the American Songbook. Cool City Band -FEATURED PERFORMERS SHANNON FORSELL recently returned from her New York City debut, where she performed a one-hour solo cabaret show as the headline artist for the esteemed National Arts Club. She was also honored to sing for over 30,000 people at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Washington D.C.'s MCI Arena, an event to honor the fallen firefighters and one-year anniversary of September 11. The event was televised internationally,Locally, Shannon is most known for her work at the American Cabaret Theatre in downtown Indianapolis where she performed for over ten years. Some of her favorite roles include Sally Bowles in Cabaret, and Eva Peron in Evita. She was awarded the 'PAT' award for Best Principal Actress in a Musical, for her work in The Immortal Hoagy Carmichael. She has also performed on the IRT Cabaret stage and at Beef and Boards dinner theater. A native of Indiana, Shannon has performed frequently at the Indiana Historical Society, honoring the music of Indiana's own Hoagy Carmichael and Cole Porter. She is a former Miss Indianapolis and a graduate of DePauw University. Shannon recently debuted her first solo compact disc entitled 'Simply Standards'-a CD of jazz standards from the 30's, 40's and 50's. She can also be heard on several compact discs performing Broadway, standards, and jazz for Hal Leonard Publishing Company. Since joining 'COOL CITY' in 2003, Shannon provides a high energy entertainment value to the group and has contributed much of her stage backround to round out the appeal of COOL CITY to audiences of all ages JIMMY GUILFORD professional career spans five decades. Named 'Entertainer of the Year' in New York, Detroit and several other major cities around the country, Jimmy signed with Wheelsville, USA, the predecessor to Motown Records. He's performed on numerous stages throughout the world during his career, including an appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. Jimmy was a featured vocalist in ACT's productions of Jazz & Dixieland, Fats and Eubie, Old Time Rock 'N' Roll Parts 1 and 2, Painting the Universe, Indy in Revue, and Best Songs of the 20th Century. If you love such immortal favorites as Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong, and Nat King Cole, you will enjoy the joyful energy that Jimmy brings to our show. Jimmy brings a sparkle to our music and his enthusiasm is infectious. ROY Geesa- Pianist/Leader After working his way through College by playing piano in rag time bars and night clubs, Roy left Jordan College of Music at Butler University with a Masters Degree and has performed in nearly every venue in Indianapolis and at scores of venues throughout the Midwest, Roy has over led bands at more 1500 engagements since beginning his career as a band leader in the 1970's. By ke
