Search - CNY Jazz Orchestra :: Then, Now & Again

The Central New York Jazz Orchestra (CNYJO) is an award-winning, all-star, regional big band that comprises the region s finest jazz musicians. Led by internationally acclaimed Music Director Bret Zvacek, CNYJO performs concerts in the OnCenter Carrier Theater featuring the world s finest guest soloists. Formed in 1996, CNYJO has made it possible for Syracuse to claim a national caliber regional not-for-profit jazz orchestra, one of a few cities capable of this accomplishment. The CNYJO is the flagship program of the CNY Jazz Arts Foundation, whose mission is to preserve, support and advance the art of jazz by presenting events in concert, cabaret, festival and educational settings. The big band includes many S.U. graduates, including Luttinger, who has also directed S.U. Jazz Ensembles, Angelo Candela, Joe Colombo, John Delia, and Jeff Stockham. Associate Music Director Rick Montalbano has taught jazz piano and directed the S.U. Windjammer Vocal Jazz Ensemble. The entire trombone section has studied with distinguished professor of trombone Bill Harris. The recording consists exclusively of arrangements and compositions by its members. The CD lives up to its title by paying tribute to the past with tunes dedicated to two late music directors: Ray Shiner, Sauter-Finegan alumnus and founding director, and Calvin Custer, best selling composer for Hal Leonard Publications. The present incarnation of the band provides new compositions and arrangements by Zvacek and band members Rick Montalbano, Sr. and John Jeanneret. And, the two-disc package reprises five studio CD titles on the DVD disc of a concert recorded live at the Persian Terrace of the historic Hotel Syracuse. The DVD also includes a Behind the Scenes special features reel. The result is jazz played with an extraordinary breadth of style, genre, and vision, providing a strong foundation for the internationally competitive soloing, arranging, and composing heard throughout.