CR Jazz Big Band
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27/06/2023
Huge congratulations to our friend and past guest artist Dr. Michael Conrad . This is an incredibly high honor and will likely propel his music into every high school and university library in the country. I remarked some time ago that Mike Conrad should be a household name among jazz writers and this is really happening!
WE HAVE A WINNER | The 'Note is thrilled to announce the winner of the 2023 Sammy Nestico Award. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Mike Conrad on his selection as this year's award recipient!
Dr. Conrad has been recognized for his arranging and composing with four ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards and seven DownBeat Awards, as well as awards and commissions from the Contemporary Music Academy in Beijing, the Bundesjazzorchester of Germany, the West Point Army Jazz Knights, and many other organizations. Conrad’s music has been performed all over the world, including a 2017 concert by the Metropole Orkest in the Netherlands, a 2014 Carnegie Hall octet premiere, and a string quartet performance at the US Presidential Inauguration in 2013.
Dr. Conrad earned degrees from the University Northern Iowa (BM and BME), the Eastman School of Music (MM), and the University of Northern Colorado (DA). He is currently serving as Associate Professor of Jazz Studies & Music Education at the University of Northern Iowa, where he directs Jazz Band Two and teaches courses/lessons in Jazz Improvisation, Jazz Pedagogy, Jazz Methods, Jazz Theory, Jazz Piano, Jazz Composition, and Jazz Arranging.
Dr. Conrad was selected from a pool of highly talented composers and arrangers to receive this year's honors and on behalf of The United States Air Force Band, we offer him our congratulations!
(Picture and biographical information courtesy of Dr. Mike Conrad)
Come see CR Jazz perform at the Wurst Brass festival June 17th!
Happy belated birthday to our director extraordinaire, Joe Perea!
Come check out Big Band Madness at Kirkwood tonight at 7:30pm
01/04/2023
Today we honor former CR Jazz Big Band director, Al Naylor and wish him a VERY happy birthday!
HAPPY 73rd BIRTHDAY to Al Naylor!!!
JEI Hall of Fame member Al Naylor has mentored and taught thousands of Iowa jazz players. Many of them have followed him into teaching and playing professionally.
Al’s music career began in his home town of Jefferson, Iowa, where his school band was directed by the legendary Jack Oatts, founder of high school jazz in Iowa. He studied at UNI in the heyday of that university’s jazz program, directed by Jim Coffin. He toured nationally with pop and funk bands, including a stint in New York City, before returning to Iowa to finish college and begin his teaching career.
Al has played playing backup Aretha Franklin in 2004 and for Frank Sinatra Jr. in 2014, and performed with the Temptations, Victor Mendoza to Wycliffe Gordon. He also has performed in Europe, performing twice at Switzerland's Montreux Jazz Festival with Orquesta Alto Maiz, and also was the guest soloist with the UNI Jazz Band for a main stage concert there and most recently with Coe colleague Bill Carson's band tour to Rome.
Among his many honors, Naylor was named to the Jazz Educators of Iowa Hall of Fame in 2013. And The Pages, an Oelwein band he joined in 1972, was inducted into the Iowa Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999.
We’re back rehearsing for a show on April 15th. As usual, Peter Hart is shredding solos! Enjoy!
Check out Chad LB! He will be playing tonight with the Kirkwood Student Jazz Ensemble and the CR Jazz Big Band. Downbeat is at 7:30 PM at Ballyntine Auditotrium. $10 at the door. A bargain!
08/11/2022
Dress rehearsal tonight and Peter is killing it on tenor. Don’t miss our show on Saturday at 7:30 pm with tenor saxophonist, Chad LB.
We are in full blown concert rehearsal aiming at November 12. (More on that later.)
Here’s Addison playing fluegelhorn on A Child is Born.
It's a beautiful day for some live jazz! Join us at Ellis Park at 6:30 as we play the prelude concert for the Cedar Rapids Municipal Band
Help me wish our leader and director, Joe Perea a VERY happy birthday!
04/05/2022
Come to Kirkwood next Monday May 9th for a free concert from the USAF Mid America Shades of Blue big band. 7pm
The USAF Band of Mid-America’s Shades of Blue jazz ensemble will present a concert at the Ballantyne Auditorium on May 9th at 7:00 pm. This is a family-friendly, all-ages event. Admission is free and open to the public.
Shades of Blue is a group of 12 professional musicians whose music inspires patriotism, connects communities with military service members, and honors our country’s veterans.
22/04/2022
Our director, Joe Perea being interviewed with guest artist Mike Conrad for the Student Jazz Ensemble concert tomorrow night.
Trombonist and composer Mike Conrad and Kirkwood Assistant Prof of Music Joe Perea visit with Hollis Monroe. Conrad is the special guest artist performing with the Kirkwood Jazz Ensemble Saturday, April 23, at 7:30 in Ballantyne.
The band is back rehearsing tonight. Listen to those trumpets. Wow!
18/04/2022
That time back in 2014 John Riley was our guest artist. And we took Groove Merchant at tempo - yikes! John is also an avid bicyclist.
01/04/2022
CR Jazz wishes past alum and director, Al Naylor a VERY happy birthday!
HAPPY 72nd BIRTHDAY to Al Naylor
Born: April, 1 1951, Jefferson, Iowa
01/04/2022
The CR Jazz Ensemble will be playing tomorrow night at Clear Creek Amana High School. My dear friend, John Carlson is the featured performer and CR Jazz will play in the second half of the concert.
Come on out and support the jazz artists.
The band room was hopping last night as we work toward our next concert. Here’s our drummer extraordinaire, Terry Smith killing it on drums!
The boys (and Kelley) was back in the band room playing some jazz last night, and it felt great! Here's a few clips I managed to get while counting rests.
Videos (show all)
