Retail Real Estate Investing Blog | RockStep Capital

Andy Weiner's Top 10 Big Band Songs

Written by Andy Weiner | Dec 2, 2024 3:00:00 PM

One of the biggest things that people know me for, aside from my experience in the real estate industry, is my love for big band music. 

Big band music is a variety of jazz popularized during the Swing Era of the 1930s and 1940s. A "big band" typically consists of around 12 to 25 musicians playing instruments like saxophones, trumpets, and trombones. Additionally, most big bands include a rhythm section. 

"Alright, OK, You Win" by Bette Midler 

"Come Fly With Me" by Frank Sinatra 

"Drop Me Off in Harlem" by Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington and His Orchestra 

"Falling in Love with Love" by Carmen McRae 

"Oh Look at Me Now" by Frank Sinatra 

"Kansas City" by Peggy Lee 

"Love Me or Leave Me" by Sammy Davis Jr. 

"L-O-V-E" by Nat King Cole 

"Luck Be A Lady" by Frank Sinatra 

"Too Close For Comfort" by Peggy Lee 

I hope that you enjoy these songs as much as I do. Big band music is a staple of swing dancing, another passion of mine. I have participated in swing dancing events worldwide over the past two decades and have been a member of the Swing Dance Society in New York and Houston, Texas. 

In fact, swing music has been the start of RockStep Capital from its beginning in 1992. 

Swing Dancing's Influence on RockStep Capital 

When naming our company, I kept returning to a specific dance move used in swing. It is called "rock stepping" and is frequently used in two-partner dances. It refers to the two dancers switching directions together on a specific beat (generally counts 7 and 8).

I realized that the idea of rock stepping fits the company's vision and reminds us to always be adaptive in unfamiliar situations, ready to turn in a new direction when the market changes. From that principle, the name RockStep Capital was born. 

Overall, in the rapidly evolving retail real estate world, it is critical to adapt to unexpected situations and swiftly implement new, improved strategies like how partners rock step in swing dancing. 

In all that we do, The RockStep Capital team strives to be ready to change directions effectively when the "music" of the retail industry changes.