Like It Is – John Fedchock New York Big Band

Description

Over the course of the past twenty years, virtuoso trombonist/arranger/ composer, John Fedchock has risen through the musical ranks to emerge as leader of one of the freshest, most exciting big bands in jazz. His 16-piece John Fedchock New York Big Band is comprised of alumni from major big bands, along with several of New York’s finest players in the “modernist tradition”. The group delights in performing many of Fedchock’s own dynamic compositions and arrangements as well as more well-known standards, creating a sound that not only honors, but expands the tradition of the American big band.

The band has four prior CDs: “New York Big Band”, “On The Edge”, “No Nonsense”, and “Up & Running”, have all received high praise from critics and extraordinary success on national jazz radio charts. In recognition of his formidable arranging skills on “No Nonsense”, Fedchock was honored by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences with a 2003 Grammy Award nomination for “Best Instrumental Arrangement” for his exciting chart on “Caribbean Fire Dance.” The JFNYBB’s 2007 release, “Up & Running,” spent eight weeks in jazz radio’s Top Ten, with the New York Times applauding its “Cheerful Syncopation, Served With Spit-and-Polish Precision.”

In addition to performances in New York, the band has also toured and performed abroad at international jazz festivals including the Jazz & Blues Festival in Stockholm, Sweden, the Imatra Jazz Festival in Imatra, Finland, and the Ottawa International Jazz Festival in Ontario, Canada. Regarded as one of the most perceptive and versatile trombonists on the scene today, Fedchock’s reputation as an accomplished and resourceful composer/arranger is also widely acknowledged. His dense voicings, thick ensemble writing and unique, swinging lines have become his characteristic trademarks. “I’m a player who also writes,” offers Fedchock modestly. But in truth, John Fedchock is a supremely gifted musician whose artistry will unquestionably have a hand in guiding and shaping the direction of big band music for the new millenium.