About Us

Based out of the great city of Yorkville, Illinois, the Yorkville Big Band is proud to bring traditional swing music and dances to the Chicagoland area. Celebrating its 28th season, the band consists of 18 players including our excellent vocalist, Dean Potter. The band can be heard regularly on the 3rd Sunday of every month (September - May) at the Yorkville American Legion.

A “labor of love” best describes the band. Their music covers a large area, sounds of the 40’s and 50’s, with new modern arrangements of the famous big bands such as: Glenn Miller, Harry James, Tommy Dorsey, Count Basie, Ray Anthony, Billy May, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington and other great bands that played in the era. The Yorkville Big Band also performs new big band arrangements of today’s more popular songs. The music arrangements are not watered down and performed by a 8 to 12 piece , so called big band, but the arrangements are played by a full 18 piece big band. The instrumentation of the Yorkville Big Band is: 5 saxophones, 4 trombones, 4 trumpets, piano, bass, drums, guitar, and a vocalist.

About our Founder, Rick Falato

The Founder, Rick Falato, has earned a Bacholor's Degree in Music Education from VanderCook College and a Master's Degree in Musci Ed. from Roosevelt University in Chicago. Rick's 1st teaching band position was band director for Coal City High School...Illinois. Rick played trumpet in the US Army Headquarter's Band in Atlanta Georgia for two years from 1958 to 1960 After the army gig, he taught instrumental music in the Illinois public school system for 38 years. Rick's main school was Dempster Jr. High School in Mt. Prospect, IL. He retired from School District 59 in 1993. Rick moved to Yorkville, IL. in 1993 and started the 21 piece Yorkville Big Band. The Yorkville Big Band plays for many summer outdoor concerts and has performed twice on the stage of the Aurora Paramont Theatre.

The Yorkville Big Band can also be heard frequently on John “Radio” Russell’s “Midwest Ballroom” FM Radio Show. The show is on 90.9 FM radio every Saturday night between 5 and 7:00 pm. The big band radio show is also on the internet, out of the College of DuPage, WDCB, and heard worldwide.