Concert: Good Shot Judy Presents 'The Century of Swing'

It’s hard to say the exact moment when Good Shot Judy came to life.  It could have been when brothers Brett and Jeff Cahoon stepped away from the success that they’d achieved with their punk band Ten Years from Now and chose instead to see what they could do with the old-time jazz standards they’d admired for so long and formed a small combo.

Or maybe it was when an inside joke made a name for itself. Their mother, Judy Cahoon, is an avid golfer, and the guys would shout  three words of encouragement every time she took a swing: “Good shot, Judy!” It became a funny family warble among the Cahoons – and as it turns out, a solid band name, too.

Anxious to give the classic melodies the respect and attention that it deserved, the Cahoons filled out Good Shot Judy with a full complement of horns, percussion and vocals. And magic happened: an ensemble that was bigger than the sum of its parts.

In a sense, Good Shot Judy was already in the stars long ago when big amp jazz bands set stages aflame nationwide.

Audiences may never consider that the Good Shot Judy show they’re seeing has been an evolution. They’re too captivated by the sound and spectacle of music that from the 1930s on, when small jazz combos, big brass bands and the crooners who sang on top of them were forging an enduring style and repertoire that would be written into the DNA of American music.They’re too caught up in performance that has one foot dancing in the past and one in the here and now.

Location: William Starr Auditorium