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Jazz Casual: Social Animals Big Band ft. Josh Gagnon and Hunter McKay

  • The Dance Hall 7 Walker Street Kittery, ME, 03904 United States (map)

Jazz Casual is a new summer concert series showcasing an eclectic array of local and national talent. This week features Social Animals Big Band. Social Animals (ˈsəʊʃəl ánəməlz) are a band of primates originating in the northeastern United States. They thrive in a diverse ecosystem and travel in groups of 17-19 individuals. Each animal comes from a different habitat; but all are adapted to a variety of contemporary musical environments.  

The animals have been known to use tools –including wind, string, and percussion instruments– to entertain themselves as well as their audiences. The group has developed an individualized rhythmic and harmonic vocabulary which they use to communicate. They have been observed teaching their musical language in ritualistic pre-concert clinics and have also been known to collaborate with other animals with whom they share musical DNA. 

Social Animals are known to perform their music in both natural environments and in captivity. From the dive bar to the concert hall, their performances are characterized by labyrinthian incantations of their sonic dialect, interspersed by unpredictable and jocular musical episodes.

$15 advance | $18 day-of

*fees not included


Jazz Casual: Beginning in the 1950s and continuing in the new millennium with the influx of amazing talent, the Seacoast has been home to an amazing community of composers, improvisers, and performers dedicated to preserving the Jazz tradition as well as innovating new and personal expressions of the music. The presence of jazz and other improvised musics has enriched the community and inspired generations of artists and audiences. As an advocate of the arts, The Dance Hall is proud to support practitioners of jazz and improvised music. Join us in supporting the arts in our community!

Jazz Casual 2023 Summer Schedule (all shows at 5pm on Sundays)

7/9- Scott Kiefner Trio ft. Chet Doxas
7/16- Maddoc Johnson Group

7/23- Social Animals Big Band ft. Josh Gagnon and Hunter McKay
7/30- Sharon Jones
8/6- Jamie Saft Trio
8/13- Billy Mintz ft. Tony Malaby

Season tickets (6 shows):

-General Admission $72
-Table for 2-4 $180

*fees not included

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July 22

Rock My Soul

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July 29

Annie & The Fur Trappers