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Jack Garrett coming home with lesson in class

The king crooner will lead a swinging night at Casey's on Feb. 13

Jack Garrett will lead a swinging night at Casey's on Feb. 13.

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By Andrew McGinn, Staff Writer Updated 5:20 PM Thursday, February 4, 2010

SPRINGFIELD — He’s like one of the Knights Templar.

Only in a better suit.

Jack Garrett swore to protect the Great American Songbook years ago, and he’ll fight the good fight so long as someone out there still appreciates a man, a band and the plan — to swing the night away.

“I feel like Bobby Darin in the ’60s,” he confessed, “when The Beatles came out.”

Garrett — the Springfield native once born a mere mortal with a limited sense of style named Garry Gundlach — wants to bring some class back to his hometown’s nightlife.

He wants to turn Casey’s into the Copa with the first of what could be a monthly series of dinner shows on Feb. 13.

He’ll be fronting his 10-piece band, The Swingin’ Starz.

Assembled from players from three states, it marks the completion of evolution for Garrett, from a guy who sang to prerecorded backing tracks at Maccora’s to a cat who now serenades the Cincinnati social scene.

“This is not your grandpa’s big band,” Garrett said. “We do all the Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Bobby Darin, but we also do things from the ’60s and ’70s. Stuff like Chicago.”

He and the Starz can even do a version of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” upon request, making his act a big draw at what he calls “upscale weddings.”

“I’m the king crooner, man. I’m a nice, refreshing upgrade from the typical bar-band sound that some couples have to rely on,” he said. “Did I ever want to become the big wedding king? No. But the only things that are consistent are weddings and funerals.”

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0352 or amcginn@coxohio.com.

How to go

Who: Jack Garrett and The Swingin’ Starz

When: 7 p.m. Feb. 13

Where: Casey’s, 2205 Park Road

Tickets: $35 (includes dinner); only available in advance by calling (937) 322-0397.

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