Gransden and band swing into The Plaza

Joe Gransden and his 16-piece band with guest vocalist Robin Latimore got in the groove at The Plaza Arts Center on Dec. 9 with a swingin’ Christmas show.

At 51, Gransden has grown into his role as keeper of the old-school style of jazz crooners with a velvety smooth singing voice and between-songs patter that features just enough corny humor combined with a reverence for his craft and the world-class musicians with whom he shares the stage.

“It’s the music,” Gransden insisted before Saturday night’s performance. “It’s such great music. It’s swing music that just crosses all these different age groups and sizes of towns. Everybody loves this music.”

A Buffalo native, Gransden has lived in Roswell for years but says he’s always happy to return to Lake Country, where he once played a regular Friday-night gig at the Ritz Carlton in Greensboro. He recalled previously performing on The Plaza stage, too, “probably 13 years ago.”

“This is a great venue, you’re lucky to have something like this here,” Gransden said before performing. “It’s fantastic. I mean, we just had a beautiful rehearsal, the sound system and the way that the room feels with this style of music, more acoustic, big-band jazz, it’s the perfect room for it.

“And the sound guy out there, JD, who’s doing a fantastic job, he told me that once it gets filled with people it’s going to be even more intimate, warm it up, and kind of eat up some more of that sound. So, we’re very, very excited about it.”

Latimore, too, said she was looking forward to making her first appearance at The Plaza, mentioning it’s the kind of venue that brings out the best in her and the other musicians on stage. But in the long run, for her, it’s all about performing for the audience.

“This is a very nice venue that we’re at today, but whether we are playing for 50 or we’re playing for 500, the seating capacity doesn’t bother me one way or the other because everybody came for a good show and that’s what the Joe Gransden Big Band does, good shows, no matter what,” she said.