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CJO Big Band with Kenny Washington - 17-piece big band

Jazz at Pearl's
San Francisco, CA

"Good God, these guys can play! And they know every chart known to man."SF Examiner

Few musical experiences compare to the sound of a contemporary jazz big band. The full thrust of sound generated by multiple brass, saxophones and a swinging rhythm section is certainly a thrill to any listener, especially when heard LIVE.

The Contemporary Jazz Orchestra is a 16-piece jazz ensemble, featuring the finest musicians in the Bay Area. In the long-standing Monday night tradition of the Village Vanguard Orchestra in New York City, the CJO has been playing Monday nights at Jazz at Pearl's in San Francisco for over ten years. The band was started in 1995 by Detroit tenor saxophonist Christopher Pitts, who originally fronted this group of elite players. Featuring the music of Thad Jones, Oliver Nelson, Frank Foster, Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus and other great composers, the band quickly established itself as one of the premier Big Bands in the Bay Area and the only one to play exciting hard bop for a listening audience every single week. In April of 2000, Pitts relocated to Boston, leaving the orchestra in the hands of saxophonist Alex Budman, who led the band until its current director Thomas "Tod" Dickow took over this summer.

Vocalist Kenny Washington, joins the CJO as a special guest for this performance. "If you have never heard this New Orleans native sing before, get ready for a jaw dropping experience. Kenny is a jazz vocalist virtuoso. Emulating the classic styles of Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughn, infusing colors of Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway, Kenny's free, playful approach, with over a four-octave range is awe inspiring. His tone on ballads is liquid, his scat is so rapid-fire, passionate, melodious and inventive that subsequent saxophone solos often pale, and his intonation is so precise that it becomes noticeable if the piano wasn't tuned that day. His range seems limitless. With a childhood background singing in gospel, Kenny is at home with the Blues as well as Jazz." AllaboutJazz.com

Note: TICKET TIERS FOR THIS SHOW Show Ticket: Sold in advance online and by phone. Includes guaranteed seating AND show ticket for our first or second show for arrival before curtain. 2 beverage minimum. Cash only. ATM on premises. VIP Ticket: Sold in advance online and by phone. Includes tickets to both shows, front of line access, instant seating, chilled bottle of champagne waiting at your table (included in price), reserved VIP table for both shows (stay at your table), CD of act with autograph. No beverage minimum.

Kid Friendly: No

Dog Friendly: No

Non-Smoking: No

Wheelchair Accessible: No

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