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Performance: George Carroll's Big Band at Sarasota's Bacalao Sports Bar and Grill on Sunday Nights

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George Carroll's left hand says it all, moving in an 'S' motion up and down in front of his chest.

The white-haired, bespectacled leader of the George W. Carroll Big Band stands between his 17-piece group and the crowd packed into Sarasota's Bacalao Sports Bar and Grill on a recent Sunday night.

The sound of saxophones, trumpets and trombones easily slices through the air briefly before Carroll brings the microphone in his right hand to his lips and belts out a smooth rendition of Cole Porter's 'I Get a Kick Out of You'.

Horns explode into a melody that is commanding, gentle and very loud. The crowd, mostly seniors, bounces and sways in their seats right up to the vocalist's finale, then they clap.

“Now that's what I call a kick-ass track," Carroll says.

“What do you think of the band? They're working hard for you."

Jazz has always been big in and around Sarasota, in part because of a steady stream of professional musicians who have retired to the area.

With stints in bands led by Benny Goodman, Louis Prima and other legends, these players have built a dedicated following that for decades have flocked to local venues for quality Dixieland, swing and big band jazz.

And when it comes to big bands, locals have a special affinity that allows Carroll and others like the Sarasota Jazz Ensemble, Sarasota Concert Band, Suncoast Band and Jimi Gee Big Band to flourish.

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