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THE MAKE-BELIEVE BALLROOM ORCHESTRA
George Gee & his Make-Believe Ballroom Orchestra deeply enjoy their hard-earned reputation as the swingin’-est, blowin’-est, hepp-est classic big band in New York City. And they take special pride in their ranking as the #1 swing dance band by legends like Frankie Manning and Dawn Hampton – and dedicated fans around the world. The 17-piece Make-Believe Ballroom Orchestra has been the powerhouse core of George’s perpetual swing-fest for more than 20 years. George formed the Orchestra while he was a student at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. They remained based there throughout the 1980's. Even though the city was in dire economic straits – and Swing hadn’t been played regularly on pop radio in decades - the Make-Believe Ballroom Orchestra flourished! The Orchestra performed steadily, at colleges, clubs, country clubs, society events, concert halls and festivals – building an impressive, loyal fan base throughout the area. Road trips included jaunts to New York City for special appearances at Harlem’s world-famous Apollo Theater and numerous "Savoy Sunday" shows for the New York Swing Dance Society.
George Gee & his Make-Believe Ballroom Orchestra was the first big band to play on MTV. They were featured in an NBC-TV movie (with stars Tyne Daly and Richard Crenna) and were spotlighted on Entertainment Tonight, Live With Regis & Kathie Lee and "Live at Lincoln Center.". They also provided specially scored music and made an "animated" appearance on an episode of the Fantastic Four cartoon. They’ve dazzled audiences from Boston to Beverly Hills and from Zurich to Tokyo. Recent highlights include headlining at Lincoln Center's prestigious Midsummer Night Swing with cabaret star Ann Hampton Callaway and a memorable corporate show at DisneyWorld with the awesome Bill Cosby.
George and the Orchestra have released two sizzling CDs: Swingin’ Live (SWING46 Records, 1998), and Swingin’ Away (Zort Records, 1999), recorded live at Frankie Manning’s 85th birthday celebration at New York’s renowned Roseland Ballroom. Most recently George and the Big Band performed on a doublebill with The Count Basie Orchestra at The Zurich Arts Festival in Switzerland before an enthusiastic audience of over 15,000. 
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When
George returned home to New York City in 1989, he re-shaped his
Make-Believe Ballroom Orchestra, loading it with master New York-based
musicians who brought a profound diversity of musical and life experience
to his bandstand. The repertoire still focuses on the classic big
band songbooks of legends like Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Lionel
Hampton, Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller and the Dorsey Brothers – but
George always ensures that even time-honored favorites are given
a refreshing new twist. .
Remarkable
Grammy nominee