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| Anita Brown Jazz Orchestra at Birdland Sunday, June 18th 5:30-7:00pm This year, Anita Brown Jazz Orchestra is celebrating 20 years since the release of its debut CD, 27 EAST. Recorded at the now defunct Clinton Studios by acclaimed recording engineer James Farber, produced by Anita herself and assisted by Jim McNeely, this Digital-Analog-Digital recording of seven of Brown's originals deserves a joyous 20-year Commemorative in 2023. Always inspired by life's stories and beautiful places, Anita's works are best described as tone poems of emotion, life events and orchestral snapshots of her favorite moments by the sea in Montauk, NY. This year she will premiere the second of two NYSCA Commissions, Red Moon Rising, also inspired by a visit to Montauk. The daughter of two musicians who met while studying with Lennie Tristano in the 1950's, Anita's ear for music ignited as a newborn, listening to Mom & Dad, Phyllis & Ted Brown practice, and attending Lennie's sessions in a basket. She recalls her frequent request as a toddler, "Daddy, play me a low note!" for which she would stick her head in the bell of his tenor. Brown is an award-winning composer, garnering an ASCAP Award for The Lighthouse at The Center for Jazz Composition's inaugural Jazz Composers Symposium (aka ISJAC). The stellar panel consisted of composers John Clayton, Dave Douglas and Bob Brookmeyer, who, following its reading said, "You got my attention in the first two measures." Anita was awarded 2022 & 2019 NYSCA Individual Artist Composer Commissions for Red Moon Rising and Hart Island Suite, respectively, 2020 Project Grants from NYFA and NewMusicUSA and recognition as a Rising Large Jazz Ensemble from DownBeat Magazine's Critics Poll. Premiered in August 2021, Hart Island Suite is tied to NYC history through a poignant family story and offers a wide embrace for healing grief with its New Orleans-style second line jazz funeral in its finale. In 2011 she was bestowed a Legislative Proclamation from The Rockland County Legislature for her five-movement piece of performance art, Stand: A Symphony for Jazz Orchestra, commemorating and depicting our national tragedy on 9/11 for its tenth anniversary. This unique piece brought the USMC Silent Drill Platoon from Washington, DC to the stage with Brown's stellar players in an effort to share their strength and resolve in silence, representing all first responders in this American story. In 2013 Disarming The Tempest was premiered by The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, which she composed for them upon invitation by American Composers Orchestras' Jazz Composers Orchestra Institute. Brown is an eight-year Fellow of the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop under the mentorship of Manny Albam and Jim McNeely. Her deep affinity for the harmonic and structural content of classical composers Igor Stravinsky and Gustav Holst is evident as she juxtaposes influences of Count Basie, Thad Jones, Jim McNeely, Maria Schneider, Bob Brookmeyer, Steely Dan, Stevie Wonder and Tower of Power. Anita is described as a talented, 'original thinker' who writes with passion and 'fresh mind-expanding ideas.' She has a 'unique ear for dissonance and writes music that penetrates your very soul…with remarkable craftsmanship' which she conducts with 'skill, elegance and passion'. Her band, Anita Brown Jazz Orchestra, has been described in the press as a 'blue-chip' ensemble, calling upon 'top drawer New York session players' including a 'platoon of persuasive soloists breathing life into Ms. Brown's works with conviction and finesse.' Since 2000 this dynamic large ensemble has boasted top New York musicians whose careers have woven the fabric of its jazz, Broadway and commercial session scenes for decades. Their collective credits include the large ensembles of Maria Schneider, Toshiko Akiyoshi, The Vanguard, Westchester and Gotham Jazz Orchestras, Maynard Ferguson, Woody Herman, Natalie Cole, Steely Dan, Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga, countless Broadway shows, films & jingles in addition to members' own projects. Saxophones: Dave Pietro, Todd Bashore, Tim Armacost, Dave Riekenberg, Kenny Berger Trumpets: Jon Owens & Tony Kadleck are splitting lead, because I have a trumpet jones, joined by Jami Dauber and Greg Gisbert Trombones: Mark Patterson, Jason Jackson, Bruce Eidem and Jeff Nelson Rhythm: Henry Hey, piano; Leo Huppert, bass; Ray Marchica, drums and Lee Finkelstein, drums on Shifting Tides of Montauk & auxiliary percussion on Julie's Second Line. Dear Friends, Only one week left to get your tickets! Follow the links in the email to be sure you get your Father's Day reservations in time! We rehearsed today and WOW!!! What a BAND! I am so lucky that these amazing players have availed themselves for this gig! I am over-the-moon ecstatic! So, THIS JUST IN! Lee Finkelstein, my long-time undergrad friend from SUNY Old Westbury and co-leader of the great Funk Filharmonik, "Long Island's Own Legendary 12-Piece Funk Band" - the band I cut my teeth writing for- has agreed to play Shifting Tides of Montauk on the gig! He made that chart SO funky for the recording and for the first time ever I will have him on drums AND Tony Kadleck on lead trumpet, the two specific players I had in my head when I wrote it. Tony had been scheduled to do the sessions but couldn't when the date came up. So... YAYYY!! And by the way, you can hear Lee Finkelstein on tour with "The Original Blues Brothers" all over the world! The funkmeister! If June 18th at Birdland is anything like today's rehearsal it will be a completely joyous occasion. SHOW UP!!! And my thanks to Dave Pietro for allowing us to rehearse at NYU's beautiful facility, and for surprising me at the END of rehearsal with a visit from our mutual UNH undergraduate classmate, Jeff Coffin! YES! Jeff Coffin from DMB! (Dave Matthews Band). I ended the rehearsal right on the dot...walked around this huge pillar in the room that I could't see through, and THERE WAS JEFF! AHHH!!! I am happy to reiterate that the following absolutely stellar musicians will breathe life into the dots, lines and circles of ink on paper that is my music, with their artistry, under my baton, at Birdland: Saxophones: Dave Pietro, Todd Bashore, Tim Armacost, Dave Riekenberg, Kenny Berger Trumpets: Jon Owens & Tony Kadleck are splitting lead, because I have a trumpet jones, joined by Jami Dauber and Greg Gisbert Trombones: Mark Patterson, Jason Jackson, Bruce Eidem and Jeff Nelson Rhythm: Henry Hey, piano; Leo Huppert, bass; Ray Marchica, drums and Lee Finkelstein, drums on Shifting Tides of Montauk & auxiliary percussion on Julie's Second Line. OK..if you didn't see it last time, here is my gush about these amazing players: Greg Gisbert, as a current resident of Colorado, has not played with ABJO since the March 2003 recording dates at the-now-defunct Clinton Studios (see photos). You MUST come hear him play the feature I composed for him, The Lighthouse, for which his trumpet becomes the Montauk light itself. Of this chart Bob Brookmeyer said, "You had my attention in the first two measures..." and bestowed me an ASCAP award for New Music along with John Clayton and Dave Douglas. Jon Owens, lead trumpet player both for ABJO and Broadway's Wicked since their respective inceptions, has graciously agreed to share the lead trumpet role with my long time cohort, confidant, writing mentor and my brother from another mother, Tony Kadleck, because I always need MORE TRUMPETS! (Seriously...not many friends will wake up at 3:30am to drive you to your brain surgery and stay with you until and while you're under the knife. Yeah. I KNOW!) Both these gems are among New York's definitive lead trumpet players and I am thrilled to have them both in the section. You can currently hear Tony at "MJ" on Broadway. And...we have borrowed Jami Dauber from DIVA Jazz Orchestra, in honor of my late mother's wishes that we should "hear a LOT more from her!" I'm grateful for the many wonderful players from 27 EAST and some who embraced my mission thereafter who will lend their musical prowess for this celebration. Just WAIT til you hear these folks!!! I'm so happy to have three-out-of-four trombone players from the recording and my long-time friend Jason Jackson, of The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra will also join in. And this Rhythm Section...OMG! Ray Marchica, Mr. Broadway, a swingin' groove master who integrates seamlessly with my funky double bass playing friend, Leo Huppert, and... for the first time in over a decade, the busiest piano player/producer in the business, Henry Hey will tear up the piano keyboard with us in style! Honestly, if I were a wealthy woman I would just follow his band, Rudder, around. Look it up. OMG... Phew! (For real!) We unfortunately lost our long-time Baritone Sax player, Ed Xiques, to COVID in 2021. He started playing my music in 1995 in the BMI Jazz Composers Orchestra and later in two early projects before I founded ABJO in 2000. Both his and my dear friend, a stalwart of the jazz scene, Kenny Berger will help us honor Eddie in a sax section of magnificent players led by my other cohort and confidant from undergraduate school, Dave Pietro on lead alto. Dave and I met as undergrad students at University of New Hampshire. He was a freshman and I was in the last couple of years of an extended undergraduate career. When I graduated he and our other classmate, Jeff Coffin (the rock star), transferred together to North Texas. Upon reuniting in New York, Dave has been a mainstay of support in my quest to compose and produce performances of my works and I couldn't be more proud of his accomplishments including his position as Director of Jazz Studies at NYU, not to mention that the deep artist I knew him to be at the age of 18 has grown into a spectacular, definitive, monster of a jazz player; among the best of our time. I am ecstatic to have the opportunity to bring my original works to this iconic New York City jazz venue with this stellar band. The food is great and there is always a contingency of jazz musicians hanging out. Please join our celebration! write your comments about the article :: © 2023 Jazz News :: home page |