Bob Curnow's L.A. Big Band: The Music of Bob Curnow, Pat Metheny, & Lyle Mays

BOB CURNOW, conductor
DANNY HOUSE, saxophone
DON SHELTON, saxophone
JERRY PINTER, saxophone
LES BENEDICT, trumpet
DAVE WOODLEY, trombone
STEVE HUFFSTETTER, trombone
BRIAN WILLIAMS, saxophone
MIKE MCGUFFEY, trumpet
RICK BLANC, trombone
DEAN TABA, bass
BRIAN SANDERS, saxophone
LOUIS FASMAN, trumpet
LES LOVITT, trumpet
SCOTT WHITFIELD, trombone
RANDY DRAKE, drums
CECILIA COLEMAN, piano

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2004

Get ready for dancing in the aisles as the American Jazz Institute returns to the Athenaeum. Bob Curnow and the L.A. Big Band bring us music from their recent CD, The Music of Pat Metheny & Lyle Mays (1994), as well as original compositions and arrangements by Bob Curnow from Towednack — Celtic Big Band (2002). Amazon.com said of the Metheny and Mays collection, "Curnow has successfully reconceived the Metheny work, substituting layered acoustic winds where electric guitars and keyboards were, enriching the textures and supplying orchestral breadth to what was once more intimate music."

Bob Curnow was a trombonist in the Stan Kenton Orchestra during the early 1960s, touring throughout the United States, England, Scotland, and Wales. Curnow has been a guest conductor of numerous major symphony orchestras, including the Boston Pops, Cleveland Philharmonic, and Florida Symphony, and has conducted All-State Jazz Ensembles throughout the U.S.

Curnow was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the International Association of Jazz Education in January, 1999, in recognition of his work as an educator. In receiving this honor he thus joined the ranks of Louis Armstrong, Stan Kenton, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Maynard Ferguson, Woody Herman, Billy Taylor, and Benny Carter.

Musicians featured in this concert include Danny House, Don Shelton, Jerry Pinter, Les Benedict, Dave Woodley, Steve Huffstetter, and Cecilia Coleman. This is a rare and wonderful opportunity to spend an evening experiencing the sound of big band jazz.