Anita is offering private study in piano and songwriting on Saturdays at Rye Arts Center for the duration of the 2009-10 school year.
Visit their website for information regarding Introduction to Piano
classes for 6 year olds, and Introduction to Songwriting for 11-13 year olds.
For detailed information and scheduling call and speak to Ann Fumasoli, Director of Music
The Frank Wess Nonet will be performing my arrangements of two of Frank's original ballads, "Entre Nous," and "If You Can't Come, Don't Call" at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, NYC, January 19-24, 2010, in celebration of his 88th birthday!
With Mr. Wess at the helm on tenor, band personnel includes Ted Nash and Scott Robinson on reeds, Frank Greene and Terell Stafford on trumpets, Luis Bonilla, trombone, Michael Weiss, piano, Peter Washington, bass and Winard Harper on drums.
Special guest appearances will feature a number of renowned pianists to tickle the 88's, in celebration of Frank's 88th birthday!
Tonight's Special Guest: The Legendary Hank Jones
Call for reservations!
The Frank Wess Nonet will be performing my arrangements of two of Frank's original ballads, "Entre Nous," and "If You Can't Come, Don't Call" at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, NYC, January 19-24, 2010, in celebration of his 88th birthday!
With Mr. Wess at the helm on tenor, band personnel includes Ted Nash and Scott Robinson on reeds, Frank Greene and Terell Stafford on trumpets, Luis Bonilla, trombone, Michael Weiss, piano, Peter Washington, bass and Winard Harper on drums.
Special guest appearances will feature a number of renowned pianists to tickle the 88's, in celebration of Frank's 88th birthday!
Tonight's Special Guest: Mike LeDonne
Call for reservations!
The Frank Wess Nonet will be performing my arrangements of two of Frank's original ballads, "Entre Nous," and "If You Can't Come, Don't Call" at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, NYC, January 19-24, 2010, in celebration of his 88th birthday!
With Mr. Wess at the helm on tenor, band personnel includes Ted Nash and Scott Robinson on reeds, Frank Greene and Terell Stafford on trumpets, Luis Bonilla, trombone, Michael Weiss, piano, Peter Washington, bass and Winard Harper on drums.
Special guest appearances will feature a number of renowned pianists to tickle the 88's, in celebration of Frank's 88th birthday!
Tonight's Special Guest: Billy Taylor
Call for reservations!
The Frank Wess Nonet will be performing my arrangements of two of Frank's original ballads, "Entre Nous," and "If You Can't Come, Don't Call" at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, NYC, January 19-24, 2010, in celebration of his 88th birthday!
With Mr. Wess at the helm on tenor, band personnel includes Ted Nash and Scott Robinson on reeds, Frank Greene and Terell Stafford on trumpets, Luis Bonilla, trombone, Michael Weiss, piano, Peter Washington, bass and Winard Harper on drums.
Special guest appearances will feature a number of renowned pianists to tickle the 88's, in celebration of Frank's 88th birthday!
Tonight's Special Guest: Bill Charlap
Call for reservations!
The Frank Wess Nonet will be performing my arrangements of two of Frank's original ballads, "Entre Nous," and "If You Can't Come, Don't Call" at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, NYC, January 19-24, 2010, in celebration of his 88th birthday!
With Mr. Wess at the helm on tenor, band personnel includes Ted Nash and Scott Robinson on reeds, Frank Greene and Terell Stafford on trumpets, Luis Bonilla, trombone, Michael Weiss, piano, Peter Washington, bass and Winard Harper on drums.
Special guest appearances will feature a number of renowned pianists to tickle the 88's, in celebration of Frank's 88th birthday!
Tonight's Special Guest: Renee Rosnes
Call for reservations!
The Frank Wess Nonet will be performing my arrangements of two of Frank's original ballads, "Entre Nous," and "If You Can't Come, Don't Call" at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, NYC, January 19-24, 2010, in celebration of his 88th birthday!
With Mr. Wess at the helm on tenor, band personnel includes Ted Nash and Scott Robinson on reeds, Frank Greene and Terell Stafford on trumpets, Luis Bonilla, trombone, Michael Weiss, piano, Peter Washington, bass and Winard Harper on drums.
Special guest appearances will feature a number of renowned pianists to tickle the 88's, in celebration of Frank's 88th birthday!
Tonight's Special Guest: Mulgrew Miller
Call for reservations!
We had a great time in our last Composers' Workshop. Hope you can join us for this one!
Take advantage of this intimate setting to assist you in your decision-making:
Bring your jazz composition questions and discussion topics pertaining to:
- How to make your new, original tune memorable,
- How to begin an arrangement for jazz orchestra from your lead sheet,
- Where to go from your sketches or in your partially written chart,
- How to determine which material should stay and which should go,
- Creating a logical, coherent orchestrated work,
- Creating tension and release,
- How to develop ideas from inspired material…
Seating is limited to a maximum of six for this workshop.
To register go to the PRODUCTS page of this site, scroll down and use the Variable Payment Option to make your secure PayPal payment.
*Times may be subject to change.
Three of my young students, Julia, Richard and Garrett, will perform a series of short selections in their first piano recital! YAY!!!!! Garrett will, in fact, perform two original compositions!
Judi SIlvano will be singing arrangements of Gershwin's "Embraceable You" and Ellington's "I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart," which she recently commissioned me to write for this performance.
Anita will teach Mike Holober's Arranging Class today in his absence.
It was such a pleasure to teach Mike's arranging class tonight. We talked about instrument ranges, the physics of tone production, the importance of the overtone series and its relationship to writing...and then we looked at some of my sketches in my favorite 11x17 notebook and the construction of "Shifting Tides of Montauk." After playing the melody and its developmental elements for them at the piano, we listened to the track from "27 EAST." In addition to all that we looked at some of their charts and addressed some specific questions each is faced with.
Great fun! What a gorgeous building and campus! I have been around New York for decades and I had never been to this pocket of Manhattan. What a most gorgeous, gothic building! And the architecture in the neighborhood at 145th St. is just breathtaking. New York at its finest, no doubt.
Anita will be teaching classes and private lessons in beginner to intermediate piano and songwriting through August 31st at Rye Arts Center, Rye NY. She will offer a Saturday schedule for continued studies in the fall.
Anita is teaching Introduction to Piano this week at Rye Arts Center.
Inquire with them for future classes in introductory piano for children, songwriting classes (ages 11-12) and/or private study on piano, music theory & songwriting.
Anita Brown Jazz Orchestra will be one of the featured ensembles during Nyack's Jazz Week. The performance will take place in The Square at Main & Cedar Streets.
Rain Location: The Nyack Center, South Broadway at the corner of Depew Avenue.
As as part of Nyack Jazz Week, this lecture/demonstration will be given by two of Nyack's own: Award-Winning Composer/Conductor, Anita Brown, and Acclaimed Pianist & Composer, Richard Sussman. The presentation will seek to illuminate the underlying elements of melody, harmony and structure in jazz with the intention of offering listeners a greater understanding of how jazz music is created.
We had a great time in our March Composers' Workshop. Hope you can join us for this one!
ABJO is happy to announce its return to Trumpets Supper Club! We hope you can join us!
We had a great time in our January Composers' Workshop. Hope you can join us for this one!
Take advantage of this intimate setting to assist you in your decision-making:
Bring your jazz composition questions and discussion topics pertaining to:
- How to make your new, original tune memorable,
- How to begin an arrangement for jazz orchestra from your lead sheet,
- Where to go from your sketches or in your partially written chart,
- How to determine which material should stay and which should go,
- Creating a logical, coherent orchestrated work,
- Creating tension and release,
- How to develop ideas from inspired material…
Seating is limited to a maximum of six for this workshop.
To register go to the PRODUCTS page of this site, scroll down and use the Variable Payment Option to make your secure PayPal payment.
Participants will be invited to two upcoming ABJO rehearsals.
*Times may be subject to change or extension, if need be.
Take advantage of this intimate setting to assist you in your decision-making:
Bring your jazz composition questions and discussion topics pertaining to:
- How to make your new, original tune memorable,
- How to begin an arrangement for jazz orchestra from your lead sheet,
- Where to go from your sketches or in your partially written chart,
- How to determine which material should stay and which should go,
- Creating a logical, coherent orchestrated work,
- Creating tension and release,
- How to develop ideas from inspired material…
Seating is limited to a maximum of six for this workshop.
To register go to the PRODUCTS page of this site, scroll down and use the Variable Payment Option to make your secure PayPal payment.
I have been asked to write music for a very cool, albeit undisclosed film project. While this is not "Top Secret" with political ramifications, it is still currently in a confidential planning stage. It will be a short film and I think it will be very hip!
Stay tuned!
We are pleased to announce our our first performance since the 2007 IAJE Conference in NYC and our first public performance in nearly three years! Please join us at this lovely venue in the heart of New York's Greenwich Village to hear some new music and some old favorites with our line up of New Yorks finest players. See you there! (Parking is available on the street in this neighborhood after 6pm. Read the signs!)
Westchester Jazz Orchestra will perform Anita's newly commissioned arrangement on Jobim's "Sabia" in this lovely park with a backdrop of the majestic Hudson River at the Tappan Zee Bridge. The works of several renowned New York arrangers will be featured, each offering his/her take on classic jazz selections. Bring a lawn chair or a blanket, a picnic basket and some wine for an inspiring evening of music. Rain Location: Riverspace Arts, Main St. in Nyack.
Anita has been commissioned once again by the Westchester Jazz Orchestra's Director, Mike Holober to write an arrangement for its "Jobim" concert.
Seven Bridges Middle School is located between Routes 133 and 100, just north of 133 in Chappaqua. For detailed directions visit the band's web site and click on "Links." Hope to see you there!
Nnenna Freelon will perform Anita's big band arrangement of the Billie Holiday tune, "Don't Explain," for The Jazz Foundation's Gala fundraiser. She will perform with Frank Foster's Loud Minority Big Band under the direction of Cecil Bridgewater. They will also record the concert for a forthcoming fundraising CD. Their past concert CD was nominated for a Grammy! Gala Dinner is at 6:30 and there is a VIP After Party too!
Anita will bring her elementary school residency to Lincoln Park Elementary School for the fourth consecutive year. Students are currently preparing by learning about basics of composition using Brown's innovative workbook under the tutelage of fellow BMI composer, Karen Bartholomew, their energetic music teacher. See photos from past years in the photo gallery.
The students of my Graduate Jazz COmposition & Arranging class will have their semester's work performed by the NJCU Jazz Ensemble in Rossey Hall.
Anita Will be adjudicating the New Jersey State Jazz Band Finals at Steinert High School in Hamilton Township, NJ. Sponsored by the New Jersey chapter of IAJE.
Anita will present an overview of her process, examining specific excerpts as pertains to development of inspired material in big band writing. The floor will be open to questions for students of the college.
The Las Vegas Academy presents a concert featuring the music of Anita Brown under her baton as Guest Composer/Conductor. The concert will showcase two of this premiere performing arts school's jazz ensembles under the leadership of Director, Patrick Bowen. The two bands will perform such selections as the excitingly treacherous, "Add Venom, Shake Well," "Remembrance," " Quagmire," "Prelude & Transfiguration," the ever popular, "Alexander's Lullaby Waltz," and Anita's arrangement of Billie Holiday's blues, "Now, Baby Or Never."
The WJO will play an arrangement I wrote on "Save Your Love For Me" on this concert. This chart was written some time ago as a segment of a medley commissioned by Jon Faddis Jazz Orchestra for WBGO's 25th Anniversary Gala Celebration.
Clinic with Staff Writers for The Jazz Knights big band.
Anita's final rehearsal with this band. Welcome back Mike!
Clinic with Staff Writers for The Jazz Knights big band.
Anita continues to rehearse the band through mid-November.
The NJCU Faculty will give a recital. It will include a world premiere of a duet for clarinet and tuba composed by faculty member, Anita Brown, entitled "An Unlikely Duo."
There was apparently no time for the two players of this duet to get together and rehearse. It will therefore not be on this program but will be on the Spring Faculty Recital instead. Stand by for details...
Anita will rehearse the band, reading through a middle school march she composed for White Plains Middle School Band entitled, "Cross County March."
Hope you can come on down! We'll be playing some wonderful band literature including my favorite piece, First Suite in Eb for Military Band by Gustav Holst.
It was great fun to conduct this band of wonderful people on such an ambitious program. Revisiting the First Suite in Eb by Gustav Holst was heart warming and exciting for me, as I had studied it in depth years ago.
Many thanks to the marvelously dedicated and talented players who give of their time generously for the sake of bringing music to the community. It was a lovely audience and a most enjoyable experience all the way around!
I look forward to my final three rehearsals with the band as Mike continues his lock in period with "Young Frankenstein" on Broadway. Perhaps we will read a middle school march of mine next week!
Anita will be rehearsing her piece, "Wake Up!", in tandem with fellow faculty member, Allen Farnham, in preparation for Ed Joffe's upcoming recording with this great band. Allen has been rehearsing a student SATB vocal quartet in preparation for the recording session. This will be the first performance and recording of this piece with its full SATB vocal arrangement. Previously recorded on "27 EAST" by Anita Brown Jazz Orchestra, the original track features Anita singing the soprano line, which she overdubbed twice, for a total of three unison vocal tracks. Anita was inspired to incorporate this unusual production technique as a result of heeding the teachings of Manny Albam. The effect astounded seasoned engineer, James Farber.
Anita will speak to the fifth grade class about some of the things a composer has to know and what they do to create their music. The children will have the opportunity to see some of her sketches and completed scores and will listen to a short excerpt of her music. Questions and answers will follow via specially established e-mail discourse.
Final rehearsal before the concert!
This is the first of two rehearsal Anita will conduct in October, in preparation for The Fair Lawn Community Band Concert Band, by invitation of its director, Mike Christianson.
This spring, Anita was also asked to join the jazz faculty at Sarah Lawrence College as of the Fall 2007 semester. She will be teaching a year-long seminar in Jazz Composition & Arranging for undergraduates. Anita will join the ranks of this most esteemed faculty, which includes ABJO's lead trumpet player, Jon Owens. Click on the link above and scroll down to read the course description.
This spring, Anita was also asked to join the jazz faculty at Sarah Lawrence College as of the Fall 2007 semester. She will be teaching a year-long seminar in Jazz Composition & Arranging for undergraduates. Anita will join the ranks of this most esteemed faculty, which includes ABJO's lead trumpet player, Jon Owens. Click on the link above and scroll down to read the course description.
Anita has been asked to join the esteemed jazz faculty at New Jersey City University as of the Fall 2007 semester. She will be teaching both graduate studies and private lessons in Jazz Composition & Arranging. This faculty includes such luminaries as Joe Magnarelli, Tim Horner, Joe Mosello, Jim Snidero and Rosanna Vitro under the direction of Jazz Department Chair, Ed Joffe.
Anita has been asked to join the esteemed jazz faculty at New Jersey City University as of the Fall 2007 semester. She will be teaching both graduate studies and private lessons in Jazz Composition & Arranging. This faculty includes such luminaries as Joe Magnarelli, Tim Horner, Joe Mosello, Jim Snidero and Rosanna Vitro under the direction of Jazz Department Chair, Ed Joffe.
Anita has been commissioned by Westchester Jazz Orchestra's Director, Mike Holober to write an arrangement for its "Jazz Goes Motown" show.
Seven Bridges Middle School is located between Routes 133 and 100, just north of 133 in Chappaqua. For detailed directions visit the band's web site and click on "Links." Hope to see you there!
It was such a thrill to have this marvelous band commission me and perform my rather adventurous arrangement of The Jackson Five's "Dancing Machine." I look forward to more opportunities to work with these wonderful musicians.
Conducted by Trumpet Artist and Director of The Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, Jon Faddis, this show will feature a Dance Medley by Anita Brown commissioned by Jon Faddis Jazz Orchestra: "Anita Dance Medley, No. 1." See PRODUCTS for details.
I had a great time writing and rehearsing this medley for Jon Faddis Jazz Orchestra in honor of WBGO, Jazz 88.3 Radio's 25th Gala Anniversary Celebration in October 2005. The medley includes Includes: "Boogie Wonderland," "I Wish," Celebration," "On Broadway," "Brick House," "Save Your Love for Me," "Respect" with and excerpt of Tower of Power's "Credit" as an end-cap.
Anita will be appearing with The New Jersey City University Jazz Ensemble, conducting some of her music in their Spring Concert
Also on the program, guest artist, Eddie Daniels.
What a thrill to share the stage with the legendary Eddie Daniels! The NJCU Jazz Ensemble is one of the finest college jazz ensembles I have ever heard. They did a fabulous job with "The Lighthouse" and it was an honour to conduct them.
The New Jersey City University Jazz Ensemble will play Anita's piece, "The Lighthouse," under the direction of Ed Joffe, as part of a Spring Showcase of its wonderful Jazz Department. Call for details.
I deeply regret not being able to conduct this wonderful band on this selection this evening. Extenuating circumstances will preclude me from being there. I know this will be a wonderful event and look forward to conducting this piece on thier April 30th concert.
Anita will serve on the Celebrity Adjudication Panel along with John LaBarbera and Paul Reed, for the First International Jazz Arranging Competition in honour of Michael Brecker and his works. Final decisions will be announced on or before March 15, 2007.
I am so grateful for the opportunity to be on this panel of esteemed adjudicators in this tribute to Michael Brecker. Be sure to keep informed of other activities sponsored by The CJC.
Anita will rehearse her award-winning piece, "The Lighthouse" with Ed Joffe's New Jersey City University Jazz Ensemble, in preparation for their Spring concert series.
What a fantastic band! This is truly one of the finest college jazz ensembles I have heard. They have a beautiful, homogenous blend and each player is a fine young artist. We spent a significant amount of time rehearsing"The Lighthouse" and later read through my arrangement of my father's tune, "Dig It." I am very excited to perform with them on their Spring concert, sharing the stage with their special guest, the one and only, Eddie Daniels.
Performance: Anita Brown Jazz Orchestra
ABJO PERSONNEL ~ Anita Brown, Composer/Conductor
REEDS: Dave Pietro, Todd Bashore, Jason Rigby, Peter Hess, Ed Xiques
TRUMPETS: Jon Owens, Evan Barker, Scott Harrell, Scott
Wendholt
FRENCH HORN: Theresa MacDonnell
TROMBONES: Mark Patterson, Pete McGuinness, Bruce Eidem, Jeff Nelson
RHYTHM: Mike Holober, Leo Huppert, Ray Marchica
This was such an amazing experience overall, and so jam packed full of "stuff" that I have not been able to properly addess it here...but I will! Keep checking back...
Borders Retail Recordings at the New York Hilton, Petite Trianon
Clinic: Parameters & Options in Big Band Writing
NJCU Jazz Ensemble - Director, Ed Joffe, performing music by Anita Brown and other composers.
This is the first time I have heard a band other than my own perform "27 EAST," and they did a FINE job!