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CNY JAZZ ORCHESTRA RELEASES DEBUT RECORDING—
“THEN, NOW & AGAIN” (TWO-DISC SET)

Gala Release Party Slated for May 3 at the Hotel Syracuse Imperial Ballroom

Contact: Larry Luttinger

               Jazz Central

               441 E. Washington St.

               Syracuse, NY 13202

               315-479-5299

               larry@cnyjazz.org

(SYRACUSE, NY, May 1, 2008)—The Central New York Jazz Arts Foundation announces the debut recording release of its flagship program, the CNY Jazz Orchestra. Titled “Then, Now & Again,” the CD/DVD two-disc set chronicles the band’s artistic journey since its inception 12 years ago.

Led by Music Director Bret Zvacek, the project consists exclusively of arrangements and compositions by its members. The CD lives up to its title by paying tribute to the past with tunes dedicated to two late music directors: Ray Shiner, Sauter-Finegan alumnus and founding director, and Calvin Custer, best selling composer for Hal Leonard Publications.

The present incarnation of the band provides new compositions and arrangements by Zvacek and band members Rick Montalbano, Sr. and John Jeanneret. And, the two-disc package reprises five studio CD titles on the DVD disc of a concert recorded live at the Persian Terrace of the historic Hotel Syracuse. The DVD also includes a “Behind the Scenes” special features reel.

The result is breathtaking jazz played with an extraordinary breadth of style, genre, and vision, providing a strong foundation for the internationally competitive soloing, arranging, and composing heard throughout.

“The music we’ve recorded on this project works on many levels,” says Zvacek. “The 10-tune program includes moments of music that range from textural to traditional. Some people say making a record is a snapshot of what happened on a given day when a group of musicians got together. I think it’s more like a family portrait, where everyone knows why they’ve gathered.”

Continues Zvacek: “You’ll notice that the personality of the band really comes through in this project: you’ll hear the extroverts, the deep thinkers, and the comedians. The playing on this record is a reflection of where this band has come from, and where it can go.”

Regional professional jazz orchestras such as the CNYJO will play a crucial role in preserving and advancing the tradition of the big band as an art form, believes Zvacek. “Plainly, this orchestra is on the leading edge of an important national movement for America’s music.”

The disc includes arrangements of timely material, such as the theme from the “Get Smart” TV series, soon to be released as a motion picture, and a modern take on the motif from the National Public Radio “All Things Considered” theme.

Says drummer Larry Luttinger, Executive Director of the CNY Jazz Arts Foundation (CNYJAF), “We didn’t totally realize how timely and relevant our total set of tunes was until we started putting them together as a set for the recording. There’s really something for everyone on this record. Your favorite jazz could be Basie, Herman, Thad Jones and Mel Lewis, Rob McConnell, or the Vanguard Band. This recording has something to please just about everyone interested in the genre—as well as first-time jazz listeners.”

The second disc, a DVD recorded live at the Persian Terrace of the historic Hotel Syracuse, is an entire uncut set showing the orchestra in its “natural environment.” Five selections from the studio recording are played, offered as “bonus video tracks,” as well as a “Behind the Scenes” special feature shot at Linden Oaks Studios in Rochester, NY.

Says Larry Luttinger, “This DVD is important to us in more than one way. It will bring new viewers right into our concert series, and hopefully they’ll spread the word that these things are exciting experiences. Also, lest anyone think that our studio album was a fluke, this shows that we can step up to the plate and hit homers in a live situation as well!”

The CNYJAF, the organization responsible for the effort, has a strong commitment to jazz education and developing music business skills. Executive Director Luttinger reached out to former colleagues from the Syracuse University Music Industry Department, the degree program that he once chaired, to create a comprehensive marketing plan for the recording.

Directors David Rezak and Dr. William DiCosimo assembled a team of students for the task, and William Bullen, coordinator for the SU Community Video Project, provided video editing via the IT Office of the Whitman School of Management. Video clips of the live performance will be posted on SU’s Ensemble Video at http://cnyvs.com.

The closing concert of the CNYJO Concert Series serves as the gala release party. It will be held in the Imperial Ballroom of the Hotel Syracuse, 250 S. Warren St., Syracuse, NY on May 3 at 8pm. The CNYJO appears with Rolling Stones trombonist Michael Davis that evening, and the first half of the program will feature titles from the CD. For more information about this event, contact the organizers at info@cnyjazz.org.

Established in 1996, the CNY Jazz Arts Foundation, Inc. is the primary year-round provider of jazz presentations in public and in schools for the entire Upstate New York region. Its growing list of programs includes The CNY Jazz Orchestra Concert Series, CNY Jazz Arts Institute, Scholastic Jazz Jams, Jazz in the Square, Jazz Vespers Series, The SummerJazz Workshop, Jazz in the City, Black History Month Cabaret Series, Syracuse Parks and Recreation “Stan Colella All-Star Big Band” and more, serving a total annual audience of 80,000 in concert, cabaret, festival and scholastic settings. For more information visit www.cnyjazz.org, www.jazzartsinstitute.org, or www.jazzinthesquare.org.