"The Ultimate in Dance Orchestra Entertainment for
Society Weddings and Galas"
Fun and Fabulous Excitement!
Official Dance Orchestra of the 1996 and 2000 Olympics

Created in 1992 by theatrical, film, TV and music producer, Maximilian, Orchestra of the Americas ("OA") is an internationally-acclaimed dance orchestra which features Chicago's finest, full-time, professional, recording session musicians – no amateurs, "mercenaries," "weekend warriors," "bar" posers or "Top 40 wedding band" drones.

Maximilian

Impeccably rehearsed and flawless in its execution, Orchestra of the Americas possesses an impressive repertoire of 1000+ rehearsed and fully-arranged songs. It performs all of the most popular North American dance music styles (including big band, swing, jazz, Sinatra, blues, gospel, R&B, funk, soul, Motown, disco, pop, classic/contemporary rock and country) as well as the most authentic hot Caribbean and South American dance favorites (including salsa, samba, merengue, rumba, mambo, songo, conga, cha-cha-chá, cumbia, vallenatos, bossa nova, samba-reggae, tango, milonga, bolero, bachata, calypso, reggae, ska, flamenco pop, etc.).

Orchestra of the Americas is one of the few dance orchestras in the world which performs it all: Duke Ellington to Count Basie to Louis Armstrong to Frank Sinatra ... Tito Puente to Gipsy Kings to Gloria Estefan to Celia Cruz ... Earth Wind & Fire to Donna Summer to Stevie Wonder to Barry White ... Stevie Ray Vaughn to The Stones to The Beatles ... Steely Dan to Dire Straights to Sting ... The Allman Brothers to Van Morrison to Bonnie Raitt to Eric Clapton ... Shania Twain to Dave Matthews to Santana.

Of particular interest to big band, swing or jazz fans should be Orchestra of the Americas' impressive repertoire of 300+ big band, swing, jump, jive, classic jazz, bebop, contemporary jazz and smooth jazz "evergreens" including the music of Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Cab Calloway, Sarah Vaughn, Irving Berlin, Billie Holiday, Glen Miller, Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Gershwin, Nina Simone, Cole Porter, Etta James, Nat "King" Cole, Ray Charles, Sinatra, Natalie Cole, Tony Bennett, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, The Brecker Brothers, Wynton Marsalis, Al Jarreau, et al.

Of particular interest to Sinatra fans should be the orchestra's repertoire of 27+ authentic original Sinatra arrangements by such famous "swing" arrangers as Nelson Riddle, Quincy Jones, Don Costa, Billy May, Neal Hefti, et al. No other orchestra in the USA has as many romantic, elegant and classic Sinatra arrangements.

Of particular interest to "Baby Boomers" should be Orchestra of the Americas' extensive repertoire of 300+ classic American blues, gospel, R&B, soul, Motown, funk and disco favorites by such legendary artists as James Brown, Curtis Mayfield, B.B. King, Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, Al Green, The Temptations, Martha Reeves, The Supremes, The Four Tops, Smokey Robinson, Gladys Knight, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, The Commodores, Earth, Wind & Fire, Isley Brothers, Donna Summer, Chic, Rick James, Luther Vandross, Sylvester, Kool and the Gang, Ohio Players, Gap Band, K.C. and the Sunshine Band, Barry White, George Benson, Anita Baker, Prince, Babyface, Angie Stone, et al.

Finally, of particular interest to aficionados of Caribbean or South American music should be the orchestra's 300+ repertoire of well-known Caribbean and South American classics by such artists as Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, Gloria Estefan, Gipsy Kings, Marc Anthony, Luis Miguel, Julio Iglesias, Carlos Santana, Shakira, Fela, Gato Barbieri, Olga Tañon, Carlos Vives, Buena Vista Social Club, Enrique Iglesias, Eddie Palmieri, Ray Barretto, Juan Luis Guerra, Ruben Blades, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Astor Piazzolla, Carlos Gardel, Bob Marley, Ziggy Marley, The Wailers, Jimmy Cliff, et al.

Orchestra of the Americas does not perform "Celebration," "YMCA," "The Chicken Dance," "The Electric Slide," "Mony, Mony", "Louis, Louis", "Wooly Bully," etc., or any of the other overplayed, trite, embarrassing, stock schlock which many can live without.

Orchestra of the Americas has performed for major events throughout North America, Europe, the Caribbean and South America; at the 1996 Centennial Olympics (in Atlanta), the 2000 Olympics (in Sydney, Australia) and the 2002 Olympics (in Salt Lake City); at SuperBowls 1997, 1998 and 1999; at receptions for President Bill Clinton, Senator Hillary Clinton and Vice President Al Gore during the 1996 and 2000 Democratic National Conventions; for President Vicente Fox of Mexico; for the King of Spain; for Daniel Barenboim, conductor of the Chicago and Berlin Symphony Orchestras; and for countless discriminating bridal couples worldwide.

Maximilian and Orchestra of the Americas produced all of the music and performed in Washington, D.C., for the gala international wedding of Annemarie Powell – the youngest daughter of U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. Secretary Powell personally selected Maximilian to produce the music for his daughter's wedding, after a meticulous and lengthy 1 year search across the USA, Canada and Europe. Needless to say, Orchestra of the Americas' references are impeccable.

As one notable New York music critic recently noted, "Orchestra of the Americas is the only orchestra in the world which seamlessly blends North American, European, Caribbean, Cuban, South American and Brazilian rhythms and melodies into one unforgettable, exciting, fun and delicious musical gumbo."

What others are saying --

• Wedding Bells –
  "Maximilian and his stunningly modern, hip and elegant high-society orchestra firmly join the ranks of Peter Duchin, Lester Lanin and Stanley Paul."
• Chicago Sun-Times –
  "Maximilian leads what is unquestionably America's fastest rising international society dance orchestra"
• American Corporate Entertainer –
  "Maximilian's performances are nothing short of breathtaking."
• Screen Magazine –
  Seems as if every hot professional recording session musician in New York, Chicago and L.A. is lining up to play with Maximilian...a heady plethora of the nation's finest music talent."

Orchestra of the Americas Chicago members include –

• Maximilian - Music Director, multilingual lead vocalist (English, Spanish, Portuguese, French and Italian) and afro-Cuban/afro-Brazilian percussion
• Todd Howell - drums
• Jonathan Paul - electric and acoustic upright wooden bass
• Benjamin Lewis - keyboards
• Steve Ramsdell - electric and acoustic guitar
• Desiree Irwin - lead vocals
• Carlos "Quinto" Eguis-Aguila - afro-Cuban percussion and lead vocals
• Chicago's legendary 5-piece Horn Section ---
     Pharez Whitted - lead "screech" trumpet and flugelhorn
     Michael Plog - 2nd trumpet and flugelhorn
     Joel Adams - trombone
     Juli Wood - tenor sax, flute and lead vocals
     Nick Moran - bari sax/tenor sax/flute/bass clarinet/clarinet

To top it off, in the tradition of multiple stage versions of hit Broadway shows, there are now 16 fully operational and identical versions of Orchestra of the Americas in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Orlando, Boston, Washington, D.C., Houston, Dallas - Fort Worth, New Orleans, Tampa, Toronto, London, Paris and Lisbon. All 16 versions of the orchestra are impeccably rehearsed; and all of the musicians in the various OA versions read and perform from the exact same library of music arrangements. Consequently, it is virtually impossible for the layman to distinguish one excellent Orchestra of the Americas version from another.

Other proprietary dance orchestras available: "American Soul Orchestra" (Classic Soul, R&B and Motown Review); "Sorcerers of Swing" (American Jazz Dance Orchestra); "Frankie Baby!" (Sinatra Tribute); "Samba Samba 2000" (Authentic Carnival/Mardi Gras Orchestra); "!KUBA!" (Authentic Afro-Cuban Orchestra); "The Wonder Band" (Stevie Wonder Tribute); and "Flamenco Kings" (Gipsy Kings Tribute).

Locally-based versions in 23 U.S. and international cities: New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington DC, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Miami, Orlando, Toronto, Montreal, London, Paris, Nice, Madrid, Boston, Lisbon, Milan, Rome, Tokyo and Sydney.

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Also, currently available: The band which caresses your gypsy heart: The Flamenco Kings.

The Flamenco Kings provide authentic gypsy flamenco dance band with virtuoso guitarists, soaring passionate singers, beautiful elegant dancers, and mesmerizing percussionists.

1000+ repertoire features the Spanish music of The Gipsy Kings, Ishtar Alabina, Ketama, Paco de Lucia, Tomatito, Diego El Cigala, and authentic Middle Eastern, Arabic, Persian, Turkish and Israeli music.

For Gipsy Kings lovers, the Flamenco Kings can provide the dance/party atmosphere that everyone will love.

Orchestra of the Americas may be available for your next special event.

For booking information, click HERE!