Black Market Jazz Orchestra
Clinics and Concerts
On April 28th 2007, BMJO returned to it's roots in Jazz Education with a successful Clinic and Concert at Mountain View High School in Mountain View California.
The band is a collection of the San Francisco Bay Area's best pros whom populate the Broadway pits, shows, and touring groups. We recorded a CD on Seabreeze Records entitled “Art Attack” a few years back which was released and distributed Worldwide. For many years the band did a series of Clinics and Concerts with many local High Schools, Middle Schools and Grade Schools.
After a taking a couple of years off from doing the Clinics we have we returned with rave reviews! Everyone including the band was ecstatic!
The Band's line up is
Saxes:
Alex Murzyn
Dan Magay
Tod Dickow
Dane Post
Howard Cespedes
Trombones:
Kevin Porter
Dave Martell
Rob Ewing
Chip Tingle
Trumpets:
Mike Olmos
Steffen Kuehn
Jeff Lewis
Steve Campos
Rhythm:
Art Ku
Nelson Braxton
Kent Bryson
We feature music written and arranged by local musicians, like Larry Dunlap, Jim Dukey, Carroll Coates (who writes for Tony Bennett and Diane Schur) and others.
The way the day proceeded in Mountain View was for the BMJO to meet with the high school's "second" band at 4 p.m. and listen to one full tune of theirs in order to focus on what could be worked out in sectionals. The band then split into one hour sessions for bones, trumpets, reeds, and rhythm and then reconvened for a session in which our band sat next to the students to work on the charts in their set. Obviously the chance for high school students to sit next to pros and feel/hear their music performed, then immediately follow and imitate is all a rare opportunity but very important for the development of a young student.
After we returned from a multi-generational band dinner hosted by the parents, the school band performed their set, but then had us join them on stage for three tunes before intermission. It was a nice collection of wide eyes and open mouths seen across the audience - proud mamas and papas. The BMJO then followed with a concert set that left everyone in awe, including band members that simply don't get the chance to perform together often enough in this big band setting.
For a recap on the days event, feel free to contact Robin Kramer at MVHS.
She was simply beaming throughout the night and could not have been more
proud of the day and her students.
I believe in giving back to the Community of music. Many Clinics that
we do, there is not enough money for the school to pay the musicians. So we
donate our time when we can. Usually, I pay the guys and Yamaha Music Corp.
helps out as well as local music stores. If we raise money during the concert it goes back to the music program.
For More information regarding out Giving Back o the Schools Program
Feel free to contact us and ask.