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Boilermaker Jazz Band

Biography

Boilermaker Jazz Band is a Pittsburgh-based swing and traditional jazz ensemble founded in 1988 by clarinetist and vocalist Paul Cosentino while he was a student at Carnegie Mellon University.[1][2] Cosentino, who grew up in a musical family in New Jersey surrounded by relatives playing society gigs and big band records on the radio, began leading bands as a teenager and studied business with a music minor in college, a combination that helped him sustain the group as a full‑time working band.[1] After early work in the 1980s with George Gee’s Make Believe Ballroom Orchestra, he formed Boilermaker Jazz Band to focus on classic small‑group swing and hot jazz, eventually making Pittsburgh both his home and the band’s long‑term base.[1]

From the 1990s onward, Boilermaker Jazz Band became a staple at traditional jazz and Dixieland festivals, then pivoted smoothly into the resurgent Lindy Hop and swing‑dance circuit in the early 2000s, quickly becoming one of its most in‑demand live bands.[1] The ensemble, typically a five‑ to eight‑piece group with two to four horns and featured vocals, is known for spirited, dance‑oriented renditions of repertoire associated with Benny Goodman, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and the small‑group swing era, as well as romantic ballads and early jazz standards.[1][3][7] Over more than three decades and numerous recordings, including the 30th‑anniversary release reviewed in The Syncopated Times and the album "I Love the Rhythm in a Riff," the band has built a legacy as one of Pittsburgh’s leading swing exports and a key bridge between traditional jazz festival audiences and a new generation of swing dancers worldwide.[1][3][6]

Musically, Boilermaker Jazz Band emphasizes authentic swing feel, period‑aware arrangements, and a strong connection to dancers, with Cosentino often leading on a 1920s‑era Albert‑system clarinet that helps evoke the timbre of early jazz clarinetists.[1][2] Their recordings highlight tight ensemble work, classic‑style male and female vocals, and a repertoire that ranges from 1910s laments like "Poor Butterfly" to mid‑century standards such as "How Deep Is the Ocean" and "Louisiana Fairytale," all delivered with a focus on rhythmic drive and melodic clarity.[1][3] As swing‑dance events and exchanges around the world increasingly book high‑caliber live bands, Boilermaker Jazz Band has remained a fixture, contributing significantly to the soundscape of the modern Lindy Hop scene and helping to keep pre‑bop swing language active for both listeners and dancers.[1][3]

Fun Facts

  • Paul Cosentino founded Boilermaker Jazz Band in 1988 while still a student at Carnegie Mellon University, effectively turning a campus‑born project into a professional swing band with a multi‑decade career.[1][2]
  • Cosentino leads the band primarily on a 1920s‑era Albert‑system clarinet, a less common system in modern jazz that helps him capture the tonal character of early jazz clarinetists.[2]
  • In the 1990s, while playing traditional jazz festivals with aging audiences, Cosentino feared his career might fade within five years; instead, within another five years he was playing for young Lindy Hop dancers and suddenly found himself one of the older people in the room.[1]
  • Despite playing for swing dancers around the world and tailoring sets closely to dance energy and tempos, Cosentino has said he never actually learned to dance himself, focusing all his attention on bandleading and clarinet playing.[1]

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

  • George Gee - Cosentino played clarinet in George Gee’s Make Believe Ballroom Orchestra in the 1980s, gaining first‑hand big‑band and swing experience that informed the conception and repertoire of Boilermaker Jazz Band. (Live performances with George Gee’s Make Believe Ballroom Orchestra (1980s touring and club dates)) [1980s]
  • Artie Shaw - Shaw’s late recordings, particularly those with pianist Hank Jones, served as a sonic and conceptual inspiration for a Boilermaker Jazz Band anniversary album that explored a clarinet‑and‑piano‑centered sound and modern creative swing within classic repertoire. (Inspiration for Boilermaker Jazz Band’s 30th‑anniversary album concept, modeled in part on Shaw’s final recordings with Hank Jones.) [Referenced as influence in 2010s album production]
  • Buddy DeFranco - Cosentino has cited recordings by clarinetist Buddy DeFranco with pianist Sonny Clark as another key model for his small‑group clarinet approach and the intimate, harmonically rich pairing of clarinet and piano. (Model for clarinet–piano textures referenced in Boilermaker Jazz Band’s anniversary recording sessions.) [Cited as influence in relation to sessions released around the band’s 30th anniversary]

Key Collaborators

  • Jennifer McNulty - Frequent featured vocalist with Boilermaker Jazz Band, known for her classic swing vocal style and duets with Paul Cosentino on standards and romantic ballads. (30th‑anniversary album tracks including "Oh! Look at Me Now," "Any Old Time," "They Say It’s Wonderful," and other standards.[1]) [2000s–2010s (noted on 30th‑anniversary release)]
  • Gordon Webster - Guest pianist on the band’s 30th‑anniversary album; Webster is himself a leading figure on the international Lindy Hop and swing‑dance circuit, making this collaboration a high‑profile meeting of two major dance‑scene acts. (30th‑anniversary Boilermaker Jazz Band album sessions featuring Webster on piano.[1]) [Circa 2018 (30th‑anniversary recording)]
  • Tony DePoalis - Regular bassist with Boilermaker Jazz Band, noted for both pizzicato and bowed work that underpins the ensemble’s groove and features prominently on their anniversary recording. (30th‑anniversary album tracks including "Poor Butterfly," "How Deep Is the Ocean," and "Louisiana Fairytale," where the bass sound is highlighted.[1]) [2010s (documented on 30th‑anniversary release)]
  • Thomas Wendt - Drummer in Boilermaker Jazz Band’s 30th‑anniversary lineup, providing classic swing rhythm and supporting the band’s dance‑focused feel. (30th‑anniversary Boilermaker Jazz Band recording sessions.[1]) [2010s]
  • Jeff Bush - Trombonist featured in the 30th‑anniversary iteration of the band, contributing to its robust horn section and ensemble sound. (30th‑anniversary Boilermaker Jazz Band album.[1]) [2010s]

Artists Influenced

  • Contemporary swing‑dance musicians and bandleaders - Boilermaker Jazz Band’s long tenure on the Lindy Hop and swing‑dance circuit, and Cosentino’s frequent work in ‘all‑star’ dance‑event bands, have made him and the group a reference point for younger players who either started as modern jazz musicians moving into swing work or as dancers who later picked up instruments.[1] Their success on the dance circuit has helped shape repertoire choices, tempos, and performance practices of many newer swing bands. (Influence is reflected broadly in live dance‑event performances and all‑star swing‑dance band projects, rather than specific recorded tributes.[1]) [2000s–2020s (especially during the global Lindy Hop revival)]

Connection Network

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Discography

Albums

Title Release Date Type
Give Me Your Telephone Number 2004-11-01 Album
Jump For Joy 2009-04-09 Album
The Mood I'm In 2002 Album
You Do Something To Me 2006-04-14 Album
I Love the Rhythm in a Riff 2018-11-17 Album
Nice Work If You Can Get It 2011-04-20 Album
Slipped Disc 2015-04-18 Album
Jive at Five 2022-10-21 Album
Live At the Mobtown Ballroom 2013-10-30 Album
Panama 2000-01-01 Album
Jazz Baby 2000 Album
Swingin' The Season 2007-10-23 Album
Linger Awhile 1998 Album
Songs I Like 2021-03-25 Album

Top Tracks

  1. Minor Swing (Give Me Your Telephone Number)
  2. Don't Go 'Way Nobody (Give Me Your Telephone Number)
  3. Until The Real Thing Comes Along (Give Me Your Telephone Number)
  4. Who's Sorry Now (Give Me Your Telephone Number)
  5. I Can't Believe You're In Love With Me (Give Me Your Telephone Number)
  6. Let's Misbehave (You Do Something To Me)
  7. I'll Always Be In Love With You (Give Me Your Telephone Number)
  8. Sunday (Give Me Your Telephone Number)
  9. Jump For Joy (Jump For Joy)
  10. Nice Work If You Can Get It (feat. Joe Negri) (Nice Work If You Can Get It)

Heard on WWOZ

Boilermaker Jazz Band has been played 1 time on WWOZ 90.7 FM, New Orleans' jazz and heritage station.

DateTimeTitleShowSpotify
Dec 20, 202508:56Boogie Woogie Santa Clausfrom Swingin' The SeasonTraditional Jazzw/ Big Pete