Anita Brown: News

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.

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.

Tonight, long-time ABJO trumpet player, Scott Harrell, and frequent sub Scott Wendholt AND long-time friend Ron Buttacavoli were on The Conan O'Brien Show with a rock band called "Fountains of Wayne" (I think...).

I only found out Scott Wendholt would be on shortly before it aired and was pleasantly surprised to see Scott H. and Ronnie too!

Interesting that a rock band would choose three trumpets over the more traditional trumpet, sax, trombone threesome of horns. GOOD!

MORE TRUMPETS!!!!!!!!
:-)

--AB

This fine ensemble recently played one of my arrangements. See CALENDAR>Past Dates for details.

One of ABJO's own tenor saxophonists, Peter Hess, played tonight, April 18, 2007, with acclaimed rock band 'Son Volt,' on The Late Show with David Letterman.

Congratualtions Peter!

In mid March I was happy to accept a commission from Mike Holober to write an arrangement for The Westchester Jazz Orchestra's "Jazz Goes Motown" concert, scheduled for June 2, 2007. Click "Calendar" for details.

I have selected a favorite of mine from the 1970's, "Dancing Machine," popularized by The Jackson 5. Hopefully, I will be able to reminisce with the audience while taking them on a journey presented by the notion of creating a jazz version of one of the funkiest and simplest tunes in the Motown collection. Hope you can make it!

I was honored by The Center for Jazz Composition's invitation to be a member of a panel of composers who would participate in selecting the winners of the 2007 International Jazz Arranging Competition in honor of Michael Brecker. Selections were made from a pool of finalists.

The winning arrangements will be performed as part of the Center for Jazz Composition's Jazz Masterworks Series. The results of the competition can be found at
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/news.php?id=13268

This semester I have a number of opportunites to work with The New Jersey City University's Jazz Ensemble. The first of these was February 22, 2007, when I was asked to rehearse "The Lighthouse" with the jazz ensemble.

This wonderful band, under the direction of Ed Joffe, played this challenging piece with great prowess and artistry. I was duly impressed and extremely honoured to have been asked to step in as guest conductor. The band also sight read "Dig It," one of ABJO's favorite openers; a tune composed by my father, Ted Brown, and arranged as a gift for his 70th birthday.

At this rehearsal I was also asked by Mr. Joffe to join the faculty of New Jersy City University to teach graduate studies in Jazz Composition beginning in the Fall 2007 Semester. Of course, I was ecstatic to accept this appointment. While NJCU's site hasn't been updated to include information regarding Fall 2007, you can click here for additional information:
http://web.njcu.edu/sites/mdt/Content/jazz_studies.asp
The NJCU Jazz Ensemble also played "The Lighthouse" at Trumpets in Montclair, NJ on Sunday evening, April 1, 2007. I will have the pleasure of conducting them on this piece on their Spring Concert, April 30, 2007. Click on "Calendar" for details.

In early January Mike Holober was asked to become the Director of The Westchester Jazz Orchestra, a non-profit, seventeen-piece jazz orchestra based out of Westchester County. As a major bedroom community to Manhattan, Westchester County is home to some of New York's finest jazz musicians, and this orchestra calls upon many of them to fill out its roster.

Mike was also named as one of the mentors in the esteemed BMI Jazz Composers' Workshop, of which both he and I were long-time members.

Mike continues to be involved with Riverspace Arts Center in Nyack, NY and is performing there regularly. He has recently recorded his second CD of music for his own jazz orchestra (in the same studio and with the same engineer ABJO used for 27 EAST!) and serves as a Composer In Residence with The Gotham Wind Ensemble.

We're happy that he still has time to be ABJO's wonderful and versatile pianist.

Congratualtions to Mike!

I am elated to announce that Theresa MacDonnell, the French horn player in Anita Brown Jazz Orchestra, has recorded The Mozart Horn Concerto for one of the Little Einsteins TV episodes. This series can be seen on The Disney Channel. So when you hear that GREAT French horn sound on The Horn Concerto episode, that's our Theresa!!!
Congratulations T.!!

I thought you might like to know that I have become involved with an exciting project in Nyack, NY. A theater, formerly called The Helen Hayes Theater will embark upon its own reincarnation. I am happy to serve as Secretary for the Jazz Programming Subcommittee in addition to being a member of the Educational Outreach Committee. Composer Richard Sussman chairs the Jazz Programming Committee which consists of many friends and colleagues, including Mike Holober and Matt Haviland. Please e-mail your interest in being on the theater's mailing list. I'll let you know when it is christened with a new name.

UPDATE: As of November 2006 this new venue is called Riverspace Arts. Visit www.riverspace.org

Finally, after way too long...a web site! Please browse the band bios and educational resources.