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| The DIVA Jazz Orchestra Celebrates their 30th Anniversary  Their 30th Anniversary is celebrated on their latest endeavor The DIVA Jazz Orchestra "30." Sherrie Maricle explains, "To celebrate and capture this noteworthy milestone I wanted to do a "live" recording (there's nothing like it!) in a place I love, and I love Dizzy's Club. We've played there every year since they opened, and it feels like home. Selecting the music was a formidable challenge, but I decided to feature both band and fan favorites; some we've recorded before, and others we have not, but each arrangement is a treasured staple of our music library. Since we've been blessed to share the stage with many of music's most iconic jazz vocalists (leading to some of our most memorable performances), I wanted to honor that part of our history, so I invited vocalist Sue Giles to join us in tribute to those remarkable collaborations. A wholehearted thank you to the creative and brilliant members of DIVA; the soulful Sue Giles; Jazz at Lincoln Center; Dizzy's Club and everyone behind the scenes who helped lift us to new artistic heights. The DIVA Jazz Orchestra will continue to blaze our own trail and "swing it forward" for generations to come. Thank you for listening!"Add Date: September 4, 2023 Street Date: August 25, 2023 Hard-charging, powerful, immersed in the history of their craft, and passionately swinging the music forward; that's DIVA an ensemble of fifteen versatile, multi-generational musicians who expertly balance enthusiastic energy with sophisticated subtlety, virtuosity, and imagination. Headed by swinging drummer Sherrie Maricle, DIVA exudes the excitement and force found in the tradition of historic big bands, with an eye towards originality and creativity. With New York as their home base, DIVA performs all over the world, playing original contemporary and mainstream big band jazz composed and arranged to fit their distinct ensemble sound and highlight their soloists' unique personalities and styles. Since their premiere performance over 30 years ago, DIVA has toured the world to critical and popular acclaim. Performance highlights include Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Dizzy's Club, Newport Jazz Festival, Symphony Hall in St. Louis, Philadelphia and Cleveland, and the Hollywood Bowl. International appearances include Le Meridien Hotel in Paris, France; Teatro de Sistina in Rome, Italy; Berlin Jazz Festival in Germany; Salzburg Music Festival in Austria; Bern Jazz Festival in Switzerland; Montreal and Ottawa International Jazz Festivals in Canada; Bogota International Jazz Festival in Colombia; Jamaica Jazz Festival; Zagreb Jazz Festival in Croatia; and the Pori Jazz Festival in Finland. As if the list of settings in which DIVA has performed isn't impressive enough, from 2013 2020 the band was featured in Maurice Hines's autobiographical musical Tappin' Through Life, performing extended theatrical runs throughout the United States. DIVA has also shared the stage and-or recorded with Nancy Wilson, The Manhattan Transfer, Joe Williams, Diane Schuur, Carmen Bradford, Marlena Shaw, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Nnenna Freelon, Rosemary Clooney, Ann Hampton Callaway, Jack Jones, Clark Terry, Dr. Billy Taylor, Terry Gibbs, Tommy Newsom, Dave Brubeck, and other jazz luminaries. Notable television, film and virtual appearances include the 2017 NEA Jazz Masters Awards Ceremony live from The Kennedy Center; a 2017 PBS special with Maurice Hines for The Kate show; the soundtrack for the 2014 Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular on NBC; a feature in the award-winning documentary film The Girls in the Band; multiple appearances on CNN Arts Break; a dedicated segment on CBS Sunday Morning; and musical features as part of The Kennedy Center's 25th Anniversary Special, the Japanese television network NHK, and Metropol TV in Germany. DIVA was founded by Stanley Kay, one-time manager and relief drummer for Buddy Rich. In 1990 he heard Sherrie play, was impressed, and decided to create a band of liked-minded, swinging players. In 1992 the search was on, and through a nationwide audition the foundation of DIVA was poured. The DIVA Jazz Orchestra loves to swing! About the tunes "Something's Coming" This is the title cut from our first recording and one of our first major musical commissions from the great Michael Abene. It's been a favorite of the band since our first rehearsal. The iconic, soaring melody presented through various meter changes, orchestrations and reharmonizations makes this the definition of music reimagined. Add our soloists and it's even better. Michael's arrangement is exciting, sophisticated, energizing and keeps the band thinking forward! First recorded on Something's Coming 1995 "In a Mellow Tone" Originally commissioned from Dennis Mackrel for one-time band member Ingrid Jensen, this chart is the epitome of swing. It features each section of the band playing creative solis, the full ensemble in an explosive shout section, and of course our amazing soloists. First recorded on Sherrie Maricle and The DIVA Jazz Orchestra "Live" in Concert 2002 "Here's to Life" Over the years we've played this chart many times with the incredible Marlena Shaw. Her rendition of this classic has always been our favorite because it has a beautiful air of optimism and happiness, along with profound reverence for life. I'm grateful that the sublime Sue Giles was with us for this special moment. We humbly dedicate this to Marlena and all the joy she brings. We'd also like to honor the memory of Sue's daughter Carmen June Lamont, who left us in 2020. New "I'm Gonna Go Fishin'" This original take on Ellington's work (from the soundtrack of the film Anatomy of a Murder) came from the mind of our founder Stanley Kay. He wanted our bass trombonist to be the "main character" (murderer? hahaha - soloist) to set the scene, and the music that followed to have an aggressive edge, with space for free soloing, eventually morphing into a burning blues in 3. We love this chart by Richard Shemaria and every time we play it, the character changes based on the soloists. This rendition features bass trombone (as always), tenor saxophone, bass, and drums. First recorded on Sherrie Maricle and The DIVA Jazz Orchestra "Live" in Concert 2002 "Every Day I Have the Blues" We got to play this tune with the world-renown Joe Williams more than once. The first time was in the 90's on the back deck of a ship during an SS Norway Jazz Cruise. Talk about a goose-bump moment! We also played this exact arrangement with the amazing Maurice Hines in his award-winning theatrical production Tappin' Thru Life. This is dedicated to Mr. Williams and Mr. Hines for giving us a lesson on how to play the blues. We're thrilled Sue Giles knows how to sing the blues, too! New "I Feel Pretty" It is probably obvious that we love music from Broadway, even before our last recording The DIVA Jazz Orchestra Swings Broadway. With the help of extraordinary arranger Ellen Rowe, we've added our distinct voice to the many ways one can feel pretty. Ours is to swing hard, groove like mad and let our soloists set the stage on fire. First recorded on I Believe in You 1998 "Three Sisters and a Cousin" This is the first song DIVA founder Stanley Kay composed for the band, as a tribute to Woody Herman and his four brothers. Originally arranged by DIVA co-founder John La Barbera, our very own Leigh Pilzer (baritone saxophone) revised the chart to feature all five saxophones. This is super-swinging tour-de-force for the saxophone section. First recorded on Something's Coming 1995 "A Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald" Stanley Kay and the great Tommy Newsom collaborated on this heartfelt tribute to the one and only First Lady of Song. Originally recorded as an instrumental, I revised the medley to feature the soulful Sue Giles, whose life was transformed when she heard Ella sing. write your comments about the article :: © 2023 Jazz News :: home page |