Big band, big sounds

By Michelle Manetti

Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman are being brought back to life for one night only next week.

The Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts will host the traveling show, “American Big Band,” featuring singers and musicians performing the classic cool jazz of early 1930s and ’40s on Feb. 20.

“It’s the epitome of the Big Band swing era,” said performer and company manager Victoria Venier (pictured). “We’ve expanded on the vocals, but it’s all the original arrangements.”

That means classic tracks such as “Sing, Sing, Sing” by Benny Goodman and Cole Porter’s “Night and Day.”

But beyond music, the production also features vintage World War II costumes and a reading of love letters written between a soldier and his wife from that time.

“It’s a show for all ages,” said Venier. “We bring you back to a time of real entertainment.”

“American Big Band” at the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College [2900 Campus Rd. at Hillel Place in Flatbush, (718) 951-4500]. Feb. 20 at 2 pm. Tickets are $27. For info, visit www.brooklyncenteronline.org.