Winter got you in a funk? Get out of that funk by experiencing our annual Jazz in the Schools weekend 2/9 through 2/10. The Reno Jazz Orchestra (RJO) and the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) will host a full weekend of big band jazz in the Church Fine Arts building on the UNR campus. Under the guidance of Dr. Andy Heglund, Jazz in the Schools has grown from a one-day event to four, so let me tell you what you can expect.
Today it is my pleasure to introduce you to two honorary members of the Reno Jazz Orchestra (RJO). They don’t take the stage but are vital in bringing the RJO to your ears. Mike Eardley and Tom Gordon are local recording engineers with their own studios that record us, maximize the recorded sound quality, and mix all the tracks (each instrument is on its own track), and then make it ready for a CD or digital release. These guys know their craft and turn a rough gem into a polished product that sparkles. I think its magic, at least that is what they tell me!
The Reno Jazz Orchestra (RJO) turned twenty-one this year. Thank you northern Nevada for believing in our mission and supporting us all these years. In 1997 we started performing at the Continental Lodge on the corner of Virginia Street and Plumb Lane to standing room crowds. Just three of the founding band remain, myself, trombonist Rich Lewis, and tenor saxophonist Jim Garaventa, but the spirit of the original band is still with us. It is a strong motivation to share our love of jazz and inspire the next generation of jazz musicians...
Labor Day. Our great American holiday is the perfect weekend to showcase the Great American Songbook. Many singers visit the Great American Songbook, but it is the gifted singer that can present a gem of a song in a new light by changing the angle a bit to reveal new facets.
Eight-time Grammy nominee Tierney Sutton is truly one of those gifted singers. The Reno Jazz Orchestra is pleased to share the stage with Sutton on Friday, Aug. 31 at the Cargo Concert Hall in the Whitney Peak Hotel and Saturday, Sept. 1 at the Sand Harbor Amphitheater in Incline Village...
The Reno Jazz Orchestra celebrates New Orleans' 300th anniversary with “New Orleans – A Night in the Big Easy” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 28, 2018, at Wingfield Park. This article features the music and musicians, but first a pop quiz...
On July 28th the Reno Jazz Orchestra (RJO) will present “New Orleans, A Night in the Big Easy” as a part of Artown. It seems a perfect match as Reno’s 150th anniversary coincides with New Orleans’ 300th anniversary!
May 18th and 19th the RJO will perform at our new home “the Union Hall” in Midtown. Our maiden voyage! ...Our first concert features the big band music of RJO bassist and member of the UNR jazz faculty Hans Halt. You will hear his original compositions, arrangements of great jazz standards, and transcriptions. There will also be some special guests...
When I heard that six Washoe County School District jazz students made Nevada All State ensembles and all of them members of the Reno Youth Jazz Orchestra (RYJO) I knew I had to touch base with RYJO Director Vern Scarbrough. Vern and his wife Karen founded RYJO in 2006 and each year RYJO’s program has grown...
This article is a first for me. It’s not about jazz, but about our new partner sharing the old musicians’ union hall, the Good Luck Macbeth (GLM) theater group. GLM recently completed its first production, “The Royale”, at our shared building...If you are not familiar with GLM they have been presenting theater productions for ten years in Midtown and are strong supporters of the Midtown district.
Why is the RJO so committed to this event? The answer is simple. Jazz is joyous and we want to share that joy. Think of jazz founding father Louis Armstrong. He set the standard that lives on today. Of course, jazz imparts all the human emotions, but if there is one word to describe jazz I can’t think of a better one than joyous. The RJO wants to introduce our students to jazz and encourage them to learn it, love it, and create their own brand of jazz. That is how jazz stays vibrant and alive...
