The
Chicago
Metropolitan
Jazz
Orchestra
The Chicago Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra on stage for a sound check in Macau
The Chicago Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra |
The Chicago Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra on stage for a sound check in Macau |
| The CMJO is a Not-For-Profit, 501(c)(3) Organization dedicated to the furtherance and education of the only true original American art form.....................................................................................................................................................Jazz Music |
| The CMJO is taking
a little break right now. I'm playing my horn in several bands right
now, and many of you CMJO fans have come up to say hi, especially when
I'm playing out at Fitzgeralds. It's great to see all of you! Keep an
eye on the site- it won't be too long before the CMJO is out and about
again. Two things make leading this great Band a rewarding experience
for me: one, is standing in front of 20 of the finest musicians in
Chicago- or anywhere- and listening to them play their hearts out for 3
1/2 hours; and two, you, the fans, faithfully showing up, digging the
band, the soloists, the scene... I thank you so very much, from the
bottom of my heart~ Jim Peterson This Must Be The Place is a nice club, with excellent food, and an acoustically near-perfect room in the back to hear big band jazz! The owners, Dan and Bill are very supportive of jazz, especially big-band jazz, so be sure to let them know you appreciate what they are doing... Click HERE for their MapQuest Link. 2010 held a re-visit to some of the shows I used to work with when I was younger; Wayne Newton comes to mind. He is such an easy cat to work with, as are most of the still-touring "show business" folk. They know the "ropes" only too well, and they want to make the experience enjoyable for everyone. By this point, the musicians all know what it takes to get the job done right, nobody plays the heavy, everybody's a pro, and when the downbeat hits, everybody simply digs in, they all sight read their as*es off, and the show sounds great! 2009 held some fun musical work for me. I had the opportunity to play and hang out a little with some of the true "greats" in show business. Without question, the most fun gig for thed year was with the one-and-only Jerry Lewis... from the moment Jerry walked on stage for the afternoon rehearsal, Jerry had us all laughing non-stop. Of course, the absolute funniest moments with Jerry happened during rehearsal, on the breaks, between Jerry and a few of us from the orchestra... Jim, along with many of the members of the CMJO has shared the stage with some of the greatest jazz musicians in the business. Jim and the guys in the band have worked with jazz luminaries such as Dizzy Gillespie, Frank Rosolino, Louie Bellson, The Temptations, Chaka Khan, Frank Sinatra Jr., Doc Severinsen, and many many others. Many of the guys on the Band have toured for years with the road bands of Stan, Buddy, Woody, and Maynard. The CMJO itself is of course highly regarded in professional circles, and as such has been called to back such acts as the  Four
Freshmen, Cab Calloway, and
Mister Billy Eckstine, to name just a few. The CMJO is
committed to jazz education worldwide as well as right here in Chicago.
The Band can be found both representing the United States as far away
as on the other side of the world, at the Macau International Music
Festival, as well as supporting local school jazz festivals right here
in the Chicago area. The Band loves to play at festivals such as The
New Trier Jazz Festival, The Naperville Jazz Festival, and Jazz in the
Meadows at Rolling Meadows High School. Because the caliber of
experience, musicianship and talent is so high across all the
personnel, many members of the Band are regularly asked to be jazz
improv and ensemble clinicians and instructors, in addition to being
performance judges, at the festivals where the Band appears. At the end
of each Festival, the CMJO
traditionally wraps things up with an exciting closing concert,
bringing the usually packed house to it's feet. Jim Peterson took over the leadership of the Chicago Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra in 2008. Jim was a charter member of the band, originally hired by Len King at the Band's inception in 1995 to play the jazz trumpet chair. Jim's trumpet and music experience is widely varied. In college, Jim played for all four years of college in the great Northern Illinois University Two O'Clock Jazz Ensemble, under Ron Modell. In that band, Jim got to hang out and tour with Dizzy Gillespie, Frank Rosolino, Louie Bellson, Arnie Lawrence, and Don Menza, and many other jazz greats. Jim got especially close to Dizzy and Frank Rosolino, and he cites them as two of his main influences, along with listening to Freddie Hubbard, Chet Baker, and Clark Terry. Jim also studied classical and orchestral trumpet with Ron Modell, Ron Friedman, and Terry Sawchuck. After graduating NIU with a BM in Applied Trumpet Performance, Jim made his living as a freelance trumpet player in the hotels, recording studios, theaters, and churches in and around the city of Chicago. Jim played in the orchestras for shows and acts like Rich Little, Diahnne Carroll, Joan Rivers, the Lettermen, Liberace, Pat Boone, Frankie Avalon, John Gary, Bobby Rydell, and many others. Jim would sub in the theaters, play with most of the top society bands in Chicago, and play classical music in the area's larger churches. Occasionally he would accept a road tour with one of the "name" acts and go on the "road" for a month or two. Over the years Jim has done recording sessions for advertising use and as a sideman and/or soloist on jazz and big-band recordings for other artists. Jim enjoys teaching, and is a jazz improv clinician, at jazz festivals, schools and universities throughout the area. Check out Jim's profile at Berklee School of Music Online by clicking here. He can be reached via email at Jim@CMJO.com. The Band's founder, Lenny King, started the CMJO in 1995. Lenny, heavily involved in jazz and music education for forty years in the Chicago area, was the man responsible for instilling that great Stan Kenton heritage in the DNA of the CMJO. Len is right now out in Arizona until it gets warm again in Chicago. The CMJO has an extensive library, including many of the original arrangements from the Stan Kenton, Woody Herman, Maynard Ferguson, and Buddy Rich libraries. . Both albums are now available on iTUNES!
The Band's first CD, Live and Screamin', features guest trumpet artist Dennis Noday, former lead trumpet for Stan Kenton, recorded live at Fitzgerald's Nightclub. Check out the Band's second CD, Labor of Love on CD Baby- it's awesome. Many thanks to our good friend, morning-drive jazz-jay on WDCB 90.9 FM and fellow band leader John Burnett for writing the liner notes for the album. The Band has received rave reviews by critics both here in the States as well as in Europe. The CMJO is also featured on the CD, Mile by Jazz Mile, which includes many Chicago jazz artists and was produced to commemorate The La Salle Bank's Chicago Marathon. The CMJO is currently accepting new and experimental arrangements on spec from writers both here in the U.S. as well as abroad.Catch the CMJO LIVE at "This Must Be the Place" in beautiful downtown Lemont, across from the historic Lemont train station, or at Fitzgerald's Night Club in Berwyn! GPS or MapQuest the addresses from their websites... Many many thanks to all our fans, for getting the word out, and keeping big band jazz alive! YOU are the reason we keep showing up!! "We love you madly!" That's you, Rich, Harry, Dr. Bob, et.al... RIP Vern... For booking, contact Jim Peterson at: (312) 235-2310 (Chicago) and (602) 910-5970 (Phoenix/Scottsdale) email: Jim@CMJO.com
New: Online credit card orders for CDs. Free shipping by First Class Mail to addresses in US and Canada. International shipping is only $5.00. Let us know you were here -- Please sign our Guestbook! Home | Band Members | Gig Schedule | Newest CD | Sample Clips | Jazz Links | Email Please select a link from the left and enjoy our site. For booking information in the Chicago area call Jim Peterson at: (312) 235-2310 For booking information in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area you may call Jim at (602) 910-5970, or visit him at CMJO/West at 2375 E. Camelback Rd. Suite 500, Phoenix, AZ 85016 (appt. only, please) you may always email Jim at Jim@CMJO.com This site last revised on September 27, 2010 This Page has been accessed
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