The Bureau of Standards Big Band – affectionately known as the BOSBB – is a 19-piece ensemble based in Portland, Oregon. The band started in 2005 as a casual jam session organized by a group of friends and co-workers looking for a way to practice music together on their off-hours. Gradually, friends and associates of the founding members began to arrive, and before they knew it they had a full big band on their hands. The ensemble started playing casual dates at street fairs and retirement centers, continuing weekly practices at the home of co-founder and bassist Steve Morelli. It wasn’t long before they realized they needed someone at the helm, and local trumpeter James M. Gregg joined as director.

The band continued playing occasional gigs for dances, parties and benefits, until word came that a new club was opening up in the Hollywood district of Portland named “Tony Starlight’s Supper Club & Lounge.” Impressed by the band’s focus on the classic arrangements from the 1930s-1950s, Tony hired the band to perform at his club. Since then, the Bureau of Standards has become a monthly fixture at Tony Starlight’s, selling out every show for the last 8 months.

The B.O.S. Big Band prides itself on celebrating the classic Big Bands of the 1930s through the 1950s, striving to stay true to the sound and spirit of such legends as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, and Harry James.

With charismatic vocalists Deanna Maio and Matthew Gailey fronting the ensemble, occasional hijinks from bassist Steve Morelli, and the droll humor of director and MC James M. Gregg, the BOSBB recognizes that a real show is about more than just music. By including comedy bits and witty repartee, the band is as entertaining between songs as they are during them!