01 OC Mag 01-24

“I definitely have a list of regulars,”
Lemke said.
Lemke begins by calling the
group’s original members, stitching
together a group of performers
available to rehearse for and perform
at a particular event.
The band’s repertoire is anchored
by familiar jazz standards
and big band hits.
“We kind of built off of standard
big band jazz. So, you’re ‘In
the Mood’ — the kind of thing
you would find at a swing dance,”
Lemke said.
As the group has grown more
comfortable playing together,
they’ve widened their repertoire to
include more contemporary pieces.
“We do new songs fairly regularly.
So, maybe a member brings
a new song along for us to read,”
Lemke said. “We kind of have this
standard set, where we’ve played a
lot of music together already, so it
doesn’t take as much rehearsal, and
then we can just spend more of the
rehearsal on the new stuff.”
The music is good for listening,
but its rhythms also invite dancing.
Along with providing wedding
guests with tunes to swing to, Hollander
Jazz had a new opportunity
this July when they performed at
the Sioux Center Arts picnic in Central
Park. Midwest Swing Dance Co.
was on hand to lead outdoor swing
lessons at the event.
Whether a performance involves
dancing or not, Hollander Jazz invites
vocalists to perform with the
group. Lemke’s wife, Amanda, is
one of the group’s regular soloists.
“I think the audience just appreciates
the variety that it brings,”
Lemke said. “When our vocalists
join us, we have a lot of Frank Sinatra,
Michael Bublé — kind of those
crooner songs, which are a lot of
fun.”
Drew and Amanda are veterans
of the arts scene in Orange City, and
along with performing with Hollander
Jazz, the two regularly contribute
their talents to the Orange
City Tulip Festival Night Show, the
musical production that accompanies
the spring festival each year.
This spring, the Lemkes are slated
to direct the show, a production of
the popular musical “Footloose.”
Lemke said he’s grateful to contribute
to a thriving arts scene in
Orange City, whether theatrical
productions or performing jazz.
“A lot of the people I play with,
it’s just a common love of ours,”
he said. “It’s been really surprising
how easy it is to find people who are
kind of like me — they just wanted
to find another platform to play.”
16 OC MAGAZINE | SPRING 2024