Jeff Lindberg’s Chicago Jazz Orchestra Begins Its 12th Annual Subscription Series 10/11

On Sunday, October 11, 2009 at 3:00 p.m., Jeff Lindberg's Chicago Jazz Orchestra (CJO) begins its 12th Annual Subscription Series with CJO/Gospel Choir Meets Big Band & Selections from the Duke Ellington Concert of Sacred Music, at the Second Presbyterian Church, 1936 S. Michigan in Chicago.

This special Gospel/Big Band Jamboree will feature the Community Renewal Chorus/All God's Children, one of Chicago's finest choruses, under the direction of Artistic Director Gerome Bell. This performance includes special Paul Ferguson arrangements that feature the gospel choir accompanied by the CJO that will be performed in the first half of the program. The second half of the program will include special selections from Duke Ellington's Concert of Sacred Music, featuring baritone Robert Sims, and vocalist Tammy McCann.

Additionally, during the week of the performance, the CJO will team up with Jones College Preparatory High School for a student workshop. Students from Jones will receive free tickets for the October 11th performance.

Please Note: Free parking for CJO/Gospel Choir Meets Big Band - parking is available in two lots. One lot is located at the northeast corner of Michigan and Cullerton and the other lot is the Ada McKinley/McCrone Center lot on the east side of the 1800 block of Wabash Avenue.

Tickets go on sale August 1st: $20; $12 (seniors and students); $5 children (up to age 12). To order, please contact the CJO message line: 312-409-3947 or visit our website at www.chicagojazzorchestra.com.

Also, Please Mark Your Calendar For These Upcoming CJO Performances:

Friday, December 11, 2009: Jazz@Symphony Center - McCoy Tyner and the Chicago Jazz Orchestra - www.cso.org

Friday, February 26, 2010: CJO Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald - Wentz Concert Hall, Naperville, Illinois - www.finearts.northcentralcollege.edu

May, 2010: Benefit Concert (TBA)

Additionally - Sunday, December 6, 2009, the CJO performs for the 21st straight year at the Kennedy Center Honors Gala in Washington, D.C.

Jeff Lindberg's Chicago Jazz Orchestra was founded in 1978 (Jazz Members Big Band) by Jeff Lindberg and the late Steve Jensen. Composed of Chicago's top musicians, the CJO is Chicago's oldest professional jazz orchestra in continuous operation and one of the oldest jazz repertory orchestras in the country. Conductor and Artistic Director Jeff Lindberg is one of the foremost transcribers in jazz. As a result, the Orchestra's repertoire draws upon his vast library, which includes the works of Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Benny Carter, Oliver Nelson, Ray Charles, and many others.

The CJO also performs compositions and arrangements by members of the orchestra, including Associate Artistic Director Charley Harrison, whose CD Keeping My Composure, featuring Jeff Lindberg's Chicago Jazz Orchestra, has garnered excellent reviews locally and nationally.

Jeff Lindberg's Chicago Jazz Orchestra became the first professional jazz orchestra in Chicago to present a yearly subscription series (1998-99). Now in its twelfth season, the annual subscription series features Chicago-based artists as well as internationally known musicians. The CJO is nationally recognized, and will celebrate its 21st year as the resident orchestra for The Kennedy Center Honors Gala this December. The CJO's 2005 compact disc Clark Terry and Jeff Lindberg's Chicago Jazz Orchestra: George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess (Americana Music) has received widespread critical acclaim, including a rare "FIVE-STAR" rating in Downbeat magazine, and a nomination as "Jazz Album of The Year' by the Jazz Journalists' Association. Clark Terry was voted Trumpeter of the Year by the Jazz Journalists' Association for his work on the Porgy and Bess CD. In addition, the CD also made the Jazz @ Lincoln Center, Jazz Times and Jazz Education Journal top lists.

The CJO receives support from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs (CityArts Grant), a program grant from the Illinois Arts Council, as well as funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. Support is also received from The Joseph B. Glossberg Foundation, The Shana Alexander Charitable Foundation of New York, The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelly Foundation, William & Terry Lowry, The MacArthur Foundation, American Airlines, The Palmer House Hilton, The Oppenheimer Family Foundation, The Jazz Institute of Chicago, WDCB, and the Irving B. Harris Foundation. The Chicago Jazz Orchestra Association receives organizational support from The Chicago Community Trust in cooperation with the Arts & Business Council of Chicago through its SmartGrowth Program.

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