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CJO Big Band - Thunderous 17 Piece Orchestra

"Good God, these guys can play! And they know every chart known to man." Christopher Caen, SF Examiner The CJO continues its ten-year Monday night tradition at Jazz at Pearl's. Few sounds equal the thrill of hearing a talented, tight-knit jazz orchestra play live. CJO delivers a swinging rhythm section, high-octane brass and a polished repertoire.

The Contemporary Jazz Orchestra is a 17-piece jazz ensemble, featuring many of the finest musicians in the Bay Area. In the long-standing Monday night tradition of New York's Village Vanguard Orchestra, the CJO has been playing Monday nights at Jazz at Pearl's in San Francisco for ten years.

The band was started in 1995 by Detroit tenor saxophonist Christopher Pitts, who fronted a 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. Alex Budman relocated to LA in 2005 and the band tradition continues under the direction of saxophonist Tod Dickow a founding member of the band.

Over its 10-year history, the band has performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival, the Fillmore Jazz Festival, KCSM's Jazz on the Hill, Spreckels Performing Arts Series, SF's Black and White Ball and Yoshi's Jazz House.