Where Chicago meets the Motor City

EASTPOINTE/WARREN — The ShamRock Jazz Orchestra will come in “swinging” March 29, and this time they’re bringing a special guest: drummer Danny Seraphine of the famed rock band Chicago.

The musicians will band together at the Andiamo Celebrity Showroom, 7096 E. 14 Mile Road in Warren, where there will be “people dancing, people laughing.” Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Showtime is 8 p.m.

The ShamRock Jazz Orchestra consists of musicians from different graduating classes who were band students at East Detroit High School (now Eastpointe High School.) A few years ago, pianist Chris Michaels, Class of 1980, and guitarist Dave Sell, Class of 1979, got the idea to form an orchestra that played rock ‘n’ roll music with a big band beat and full horn section. They took their name from the high school mascot, the shamrock, and they’ve carried a tune ever since.

The orchestra has played a number of local gigs in metro Detroit, and Seraphine reportedly came across the band on YouTube. Since the band plays many Chicago numbers, Seraphine will play drums with them at their March 29 show. The Grammy winner set the tempo for Chicago from 1967 to 1990 and still actively plays music. The band will have a few rehearsals with Seraphine before showtime.

“We were all fans and never thought we would share the stage with a founding member of Chicago and a Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame inductee. For most of us, this is the biggest gig of our lives,” said Sell, who now resides in California and comes back to Michigan periodically. “Danny Seraphine is known for his contribution in drumming in modern music. His style is part of what made Chicago what they were. We’re so excited about him.”

The SJO members span from the Class of 1957 to the Class of 2006. The band members put their style on songs from various artists, including Michael Bublé, Steely Dan and Neil Diamond. Their talent can also be heard on musical medleys featuring two of England’s greatest bands: the Beatles and Led Zeppelin. The audience, too, will be on their feet for Michael Jackson’s “Rock with You.”

“It’s just crazy fun. We’re acting like we did when we were in high school,” Sell said. “We have a blast. I think we realize how fortunate we were that we had an incredible band program. There is a bond between us. It’s like a sports team.”

“It’s been a fun journey,” Michaels said.

The Andiamo show will feature two parts. At the beginning of the night, the band will perform its own signature show. After a brief intermission, they’ll return to the stage with Seraphine for a segment featuring songs that made Chicago a household name, including “25 Or 6 to 4,” “Make Me Smile” and “Saturday in the Park.”

Most of the pop and rock music the band performs wasn’t written for big band. So Michaels and alto saxophonist Greg Milewski compose the arrangements.

“We customize it and make it our own. It’s a lot of fun to reimagine them with a bigger band,” Michaels said. “How can we take this cool sound of a big orchestra and make it fit into the modern sounds we want to have so it sounds new and interesting to the audience.”

One of Michaels’ favorite songs to play is Chicago’s instrumental “Mongonucleosis.”

“It comes to life better than when I orchestrated it on my computer,” Michaels said. “All the horns play different parts at different times. By the end, it’s super complex.”

Michaels, a longtime Chicago fan, looks forward to performing alongside Seraphine.

“It’s going to be interesting to see how it all comes together. When you’re a young kid, you never could imagine it,” Michaels, of Milford, said. “It’s sort of surreal. That’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

For tickets to see the ShamRock Jazz Orchestra, featuring Danny Seraphine, visit andiamoshowroom.com. For more information on the ShamRock Jazz Orchestra, visit shamrockjazzorchestra.com. For more information, visit dannyseraphine.com.