Archive for the ‘Performances’ Category
Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010
The Nova Contemporary Jazz Orchestra plays our regular gig tonight at O’ Gara’s, 8pm-11pm. Plus, our recent—and completely friendly—Battle of Big Bands foray with Acme Jazz Company will be broadcast on Jazz88’s Big Band Scene on March 22nd and 28. Tune in! (We’ll remind you again.)
If you came out to our recent show with Acme Jazz Company at Minnetonka High, thanks for your support. We sincerely hope you enjoyed the music. In the next battle, we hope to work in marshmallow bazookas in some way.
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Thursday, November 5th, 2009
Mike Krikava, leader of the Nova Contemporary Jazz Orchestra, passes along this special message about our upcoming CD release party:
Greetings All,
I am very excited to announce that the Nova Jazz Orchestra has completed its Seventh CD of all Minnesota Jazz. This CD – A Time of Reckoning – features 10 charts with a Minnesota connection. The title track, by Dan Cavanagh (Jazz Studies Prof at Univ. Texas at Arlington) was commissioned especially for the Nova band and is an amazing piece of music. It takes a line of Gregorian Chant and transforms it into a very hot up-tempo swing chart. It must be heard to be believed.
Nova is having a CD Release Party on TUESDAY NOVEMBER 24, 2009 at O’Gara’s Bar and Grill on the corner of Snelling and Selby in St. Paul. The event starts at 7 pm with the Frankhouse Septet (they are very cool and definitely worth a listen). The Nova band will begin playing at 8:30 pm and will go until 11 or so. We will play cuts off the CD plus some new material and a few holiday favorites, from our last recording project – An Odd Christmas. Renowned Jazz artists Dave Hagedorn, Vibes and Dave Marden, Flute, are featured on the CD and both will perform with us at the party. Nova CDs will be available at $15/each.
This CD is by far Nova’s most ambitious effort yet. I am very proud of this work and hope you will join us on the 24th.
Cheers,
Mike
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Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009
The Nova Contemporary Jazz Orchestra plays O’Gara’s tonight, and we hope everyone can make it. The beginning of Fall means a few changes in the Nova band. Tonight, we welcome Kari on alto saxophone, and bid a fond farewell to Sten Johnson, our previous 2nd alto player. This means we are down only one Sten Johnson, since we still have a Sten Johnson in the trumpet section.
On a related note, if your name is Sten Johnson and you play any sort of instrument, don’t forget to talk to us about getting on Nova’s sub list.
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Tuesday, August 25th, 2009
Where did the summer go? Nope, it hasn’t really been a long hot summer in Minnesota, but tonight, August 25, the Nova Band will do its best to heat things up. Join us at 8 o’clock at O’Gara’s for the a last summer fling. (Or last hurrah, or anything else you might like to call it.) The program will include some new charts we’ve been working on.
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Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009
Is tonight, June 23. One night only, at least until next month. Cool down, cool off, and hear Nova play all the favorites tonight!
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Tuesday, March 24th, 2009
Once again, tonight at O’Gara’s. See everybody there!
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Sunday, February 22nd, 2009
Coming up this Tuesday, Nova once again brings its contemporary music wares to O’Garas Bar and Grill. Well, most of our music is contemporary. Recently, we’ve come into the possession of some classic jazz orchestra transcriptions as recorded by the Duke Ellington and Benny Carter bands. What are these tunes? We may just play them, so come out and hear us!
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Tuesday, December 9th, 2008
As a way of wishing everyone in the Nova Contemporary Jazz Orchestra happy holidays, the band got together for a rehearsal and fine pot-luck meal last Sunday afternoon. We’d like to wish everyone out there happy holidays, too.
Our Christmas concert is coming up at O’Gara’s on December 23rd, where we’ll be reprising some tunes from our CD of last year, An Odd Christmas. In addition, at this event we’ll be assisting the talented composer Dan Cavanagh with the release of his own CD project, titled Pulse. We are indeed fortunate that Dan has contributed so much to the musical life of Nova, and some of his compositions will be featured on our forthcoming CD, A Time of Reckoning.
So come out to O’Gara’s, have a cup of cheer (responsibly of course), and hear some great music!
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Saturday, August 23rd, 2008
Coming up on August 26, Nova will be playing its usual gig at O’Gara’s Shamrock room in St. Paul. As preparation for this performance, the band will be rehearsing at John Ahern’s house, where we will be carefully adjusting tempos, articulations, and other important musical details.
Here are some important things to keep in mind about Tuesday night’s performance:
- The performance is in no way connected to the closing of the Olympic Games
- As a consequence, there will be no cute Chinese girl lip syncing
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