Westchester County lies just north of New York City and is home to a great number of extraordinary jazz musicians. The sixteen-piece Westchester Jazz Orchestra, heralded as “one of the most incredible jazz orchestras in the entire country” by JazzImprovNY, was created to showcase these professionals in their home county.
WJO, a nonprofit organization, performed its first concert at the Irvington Town Hall Theater on October 14, 2003. We recently completed our fifth season, having performed 24 season concerts and about 10 others around the County. We have also provided inspiration and instruction to hundreds of local jazz students.
The Orchestra was founded by Emily Tabin, WJO’s current Executive Director, and by musicians Peter Hand, who left WJO during its first season, and Joey Berkley. Joey served as Artistic Director until January 2007, when Mike Holober took over the artistic reigns.
After achieving success and recognition in our first four years, WJO was propelled to a new level of accomplishment during 2007-08 with the release of our debut CD, All In. All In was named among the Best CDs of 2007 by JazzImprov and the Montreal Gazette and was a Top CD of WBGO-FM, the major jazz radio station in the New York metropolitan area, from December 2007 through April 2008. Reviewers praise WJO as “first-rate,” “setting a standard in big band modern jazz,” “hugely impressive” and “exceptional,” while lauding the CD as “an expertly woven and thrilling collection,” “music that inspires and enlightens” and “well thought out and endlessly compelling.”
In addition, All In was among the most frequently played jazz CDs in the US from January into May 2008. Our CD enjoyed a 13-week run on the JazzWeek chart, a weekly account of the top 50 jazz CDs played by radio stations nationwide, reaching a high of number 4 the week of March 10.
Our five annual season concerts are theme-based and feature world premieres of WJO-commissioned arrangements. With over 100 such new arrangements in our book, we are making a significant contribution to the development of big band jazz. We have created fresh and modern takes on the compositions of Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Wayne Shorter, George Gershwin, Horace Silver and Joe Henderson. Our commissions also include arrangements of works by more contemporary composers including Stevie Wonder, Sly Stone, the Beatles and Paul Simon, as well as by Latin and Brazilian masters.
WBGO Music Program Director and Morning Show Host Gary Walker hosts our concerts. Guest artists have included Houston Person, Janis Siegel, Nicole Pasternak, Dick Oatts, Loryn Altsher and Kate McGarry.
We recently formed an advisory board of jazz luminaries to guide us as we grow. Members include trumpeter Randy Brecker, saxophonist Joe Lovano, pianist/composer Jim McNeely, bassist John Patitucci, saxophonist Houston Person, bassist Rufus Reid and WBGO’s Gary Walker.
In our education programs, we conduct three-day residencies and one-day workshops at high schools across Westchester. We have also adjudicated, taught and performed at multi-school jazz festivals and brought financially disadvantaged youth their first live jazz concerts.
With the success of All In and the growing renown of our performances and commissions, we are becoming more widely known – both inside Westchester and well beyond – as a world-class jazz orchestra on par with other internationally heralded ensembles. “Do something for yourself – catch ‘em live,” says Gary Walker. “It’s the art and passion of jazz at its finest.”
