Bill Causey and His Orchestra, a big band outfit that last regularly performed public gigs in Shreveport-Bossier in 2011, will begin a Tuesday night residency called Big Band Tuesday at Margaritaville Resort Casino Bossier City‘s Paradise Theater on June 20, 2017. This will come as welcome news to folks who’ve missed Causey and his group, including a dedicated group of dancers who follow Causey and his orchestra wherever they perform. Admission to Big Band Tuesday is $10 or $5 with a Margaritaville Players Club card. Tickets can be purchased at the Margaritaville Retail Store. Performances begin at 6 p.m. and run until 8:30 p.m. with a break during each performance scheduled from 7-7:30 p.m.
“There’ll be a dance floor, and there’ll certainly be some diehard dancers, but it’s going to be an informal thing,” Causey said, adding that guests are more than welcome to simply sit and enjoy the music or grab a drink at the bar. “We haven’t performed regularly since Chicky’s Boom Boom Room in 2011, so we’re looking forward to it.”
Each Tuesday night performance will have a theme and a special guest. The June 20 debut will feature Jim O’Brien on vibraphone. Other planned themes and guests include: celebrating the music of Frank Sinatra, June 27; celebrating Glenn Miller and USO, July 4; celebrating the music of Buddy Rich with C.E. Askew on drums, July 11; and featuring Dick Eckstein on trombone, July 18.
The thing about Causey is that if he’s going to do something, he’s going to do it right. On the July 4 night featuring the music of Glenn Miller, the featured artist will be Gary Meggs, who was the touring saxophone player for the World Famous Glenn Miller Orchestra. For the Sinatra night on June 27, Causey assures fans of Ol’ Blue Eyes that his orchestra “will be doing the authentic Sinatra arrangements” and excitedly lists the achievements of visiting vocalist Bach Norwood of Dallas. In addition to singing Sinatra, Norwood is also the touring bass player for The Polyphonic Spree, so that’s kind of incredible.
“If it works, we’ll be performing at Margaritaville for a good while,” Causey said. “But at the very least we’re going to have six to eight weeks of great shows.”
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