Thanks for your interest in hiring Sara & Swingtime! We can be anywhere from just Sara solo on piano up to a six-piece band. We specialize in the popular songs of the 20's and 30's - early jazz, blues and swing. Our band is danceable and fun for young and old! We pride ourselves on our professionalism and musicianship, and have many happy former clients in our past - references are available on request. We hope to make your event a night to remember!
Please note: As of mid-April 2019, Sara is unable to sing due to vocal loss. We hope this is temporary but it is unknown when it will be possible to sing again. Sara can still of course play piano for solo gigs or with the band.
1 review
Oxana C.
July 10, 2016Dear Sara & Swingtime, thank you so much for practically being part of our family at the birthday party of my husband. You're just awesome, beautiful and really talented. You made the evening so special and so magic. Working with you was so easy, thank you for putting up with all of our delays and changes. Also, a special thank you for letting my 3 years old playing the drum :) You guys rock! I hope to work with again sometimes soon.
Hired as: 1920s Era Entertainment, 1930s Era Entertainment, 1940s Era Entertainment, Jazz Band, Jazz Pianist, Jazz Singer, Keyboard Player, Pianist, Swing Band
Sara & Swingtime
Thank you Oxana! The best part of the party was meeting you and your beautiful family! You made us feel so welcome. We had a great time and I hope we get to work for you again!
Price range: Contact for rates
Gig length: 45 - 240 minutes
Unions: AFM
Time travel!
Sara Klotz de Aguilar, Pianist and vocalist.
Sara & Swingtime , formed in 1989, specializes in the jazz, blues and swing of the 1920's - 30's. Sara has appeared at numerous vintage-styled events celebrating the period, from New York City to California, including shows at the Queen Mary, the Paramount Theater, the Ahwahnee in Yosemite, and all the major San Francisco hotels. A nationally renowned expert in the fashions of the era, Sara also writes and lectures for various historical societies around the country.
Usually we require an area about 8'x 8' to set up in and an electrical outlet. Although I always prefer playing an acoustic grand piano, if there is no piano on site, I can provide my digital piano. I have a sound system adequate for house parties or small clubs, but for large venues you would need to provide amplification for the piano and voice, also a mic on a boom stand at the piano, and any other needed support depending on the gig.
Sunday
Holiday Party
11:00am - 2:00pm
•
San Mateo, CA
Sunday
Concert
2:00pm - 4:00pm
•
Oakland, CA
Saturday
Birthday (Adult)
8:00pm - 10:00pm
•
San Francisco, CA
Sunday
Funeral/Memorial Service
1:00pm - 5:00pm
•
Berkeley, CA
Friday
Holiday Party
7:00pm - 11:00pm
•
San Francisco, CA
Sunday
Wedding Reception
8:00pm - 10:45pm
•
San Francisco, CA
Thursday
Birthday Party
7:00am - 10:00am
•
Redwood City, CA
Wednesday
Christmas Party
12:30pm - 1:15pm
•
Roseville, CA
I tailor my set lists specifically for every gig, taking into consideration the size of the crowd, the kind of eventm the mood of the room, etc.
Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Jelly Roll Morton, Paul Whiteman, Bing Crosby, Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, Sophie Tucker, Bessie Smith, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, George and Ira Gershwin, Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet, Bix Beiderbeck, Cab Calloway, Blanche Calloway (yes, his sister), Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, Ivie (Ivy) Anderson, Ethel Waters, Mildred Bailey, Fred Astaire, Fannie Brice, Rosemary Clooney, Etta James, Dinah Washington, Helen Forrest... discovering more every day!
We can supply our needs!
Sara & Swingtime were the hit of our USO-style party! The staff, guests, and dancers all loved them. The music was wonderful, upbeat, and selections were appropriate for the 30's-40's theme. It was definitely toe-tappin' stuff! Thank you Sara & Swingtime!
– County Library, Placerville, CA, 11/3/2007
Sara & Swingtime was the highlight of our wine club dinner party! Their music was outstanding; truly talented musicians. They were dressed in beautiful classic attire and behaved extremely professionally. It was a true pleasure to have had them play at our winery!
– Nicholson Ranch Winery Sonoma, CA 5/13/2006
Sara & Swingtime were great. Sara was easy to work with. The band showed up on time, ready to go, played the full time they had agreed to play, and were very professional. They played great music. They sounded as good or better than their samples on the Web. Sara's singing and playing were great, and the band could really swing! We were very happy with their services.
– P.B., Albany CA 8/3/2008
Sara & Swingtime were quite simply awesome. My whole experience with Sara from beginning to end - from booking through to the event - was wonderful. She is extremely professional, but also friendly and accommodating and flexible, which made it a pleasure to deal with her and her band mates in the planning stages and during the event. Our guests LOVED the band, the atmosphere was pitch perfect, and Sara was totally amazing, working with the less-than-ideal space we gave them to play in (our best effort, but I know it could have been more perfect for them!) without a single complaint or difficulty. THANK YOU!!!
– LT, Berkeley CA, 10/26/2011
You were swell, you were fab, you were great!...I love the way you sing...A number of friends commented to me how much you added to the ambience...I am truly a fan
– A happy bride
Just as the Paramount's architecture and interior space exemplify the visual character of the Art Deco Era, so does your music create that era in sound. Standing there, in that beautiful building, hearing your music, one could truly feel transported back in time. all of us, and all of our members and guests that night, are so grateful to you for taking the time and effort to prepare and perform your music and vocal arrangements for us, for this special occasion. We could not think of a better way to celebrate our 20th anniversary!
– Cherie Morrison Oliiver
A lively band that captures the style and heart of 30's and 40's jazz. Inspired by the Teddy Wilson recordings of the mid-1930's, Sara's piano and lively vocals on familiar tunes make it hard not to sing along!
– Alice Jurow, The Sophisticate Magazine
Swing Band
