One of the members of the Nova Contemporary Jazz Orchestra, saxophonist and composer Kari Musil, received a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board last year. Since, and as a result of the generous grant, she’s decided to put on a “Really Big Show,” a concert of newly composed works featuring her unique musical vision. We’re thrilled Nova will get to take part, and happy to announce that this performance will take place Saturday, April 14th, at 2pm in Hamline University’s Sundin Music Hall. The details are listed below:

• What: The Music of Kari Musil
• Who: Kari Musil (jazz composer), Nova Contemporary Jazz Orchestra, Leslee McKee (vocalist), J. Otis Powell! (poet), Sue Leigh (saxophonist)
• When: Saturday, April 14, 2:00 p.m.
• Where: Hamline University, Sundin Music Hall, 1531 Hewitt Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104
• Cost: adults, $10; students/seniors, $5; children, $3.

Also part of a Big Spring: later this month, on March 27th at 7pm, the Nova Contemporary Jazz Orchestra will unleash its own version of March Madness at the Shorewood Bar & Grill in Fridley. Treat yourself to a good time; come out and hear us play some great original big band music.

John Hyvarinen

The Nova Contemporary Jazz Orchestra’s first performance of 2012 is coming up on Tuesday, January 24. As usual, our performance venue is the cozy Shorewood Bar & Grill in Fridley, where you can enjoy fine food and drink in addition to our music. We’ll start at our regular time of 7pm. With a couple of breaks, we’ll play till 11pm.

If you’re interested in purchasing our newest recording, Who Sez You Can’t Dance to Bebop, we’ll have copies on hand. Come on out and enjoy the evening with us.

Our last performance of 2011 takes place at the Shorewood Bar & Grill in Fridley this Tuesday, December 27th, at 7pm. Come out and share in a cup of holiday cheer while listening to some good music!

Tonight, the Nova Jazz Orchestra will be playing selections from Duke Ellington’s arrangement of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite.

This will be a joint concert with the Northeast Community Band under the direction of Tim Martin, one of Nova’s fine trumpeters. In addition to other holiday favorites, the Northeast Community Band will perform contrasting versions of Tchaikovsky’s music. Please join us!

• What: Joint concert with the Northeast Community Band featuring Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite
• When: Thursday, December 15, 7 p.m.
• Where: Washburn High School 201 West 49th St. Minneapolis, MN 55419

This will be a joint concert with the Northeast Community Band under the direction of Tim Martin, one of Nova’s fine trumpeters. In addition to other holiday favorites, the Northeast Community Band will perform contrasting selections from Tchaikovsky’s Suite. Please join us!

• What: Joint concert with the Northeast Community Band featuring Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite
• When: Thursday, December 15, 7 p.m.
• Where: Washburn High School 201 West 49th St. Minneapolis, MN 55419 Note: The venue for this concert has changed recently.

A belated but hearty thanks to all those who came out to our CD release party last month. Your support was and is certainly appreciated; we felt lots of good vibes coming from our audience at the Shorewood. Onward — here’s what’s coming up for Nova:

• November 22: Our monthly performance at the Shorewood Bar & Grill, 7pm-11pm.
• December 1: TCJS/Big Band Scene Stan Kenton 100th birthday celebration:
  • What: CD Release Party and concert. 1st set: Minnetonka High School Jazz Band I. 2nd Set: Nova Contemporary Jazz Orchestra’s selections from 14 newly recorded works by Bill Mathieu*

    *Nova’s studio recording of these compositions released by Tantara Productions.

  • When: Thursday, December 1, 2011, 7:30pm
  • Where: 18285 Highway 7, Minnetonka, MN 55345-4131 (Arts Center) [Google Map Link]
  • Admission: Adults: $10 Students: $5 TCJS/KBEM Members: $7

It’s October, which means that it’s time to remind everyone that the Nova Contemporary Jazz Orchestra is closing in on a big event: on the 25th, we’re having a big party for the release of our 8th full-length CD of all-Minnesota Big Band Jazz, titled Who Sez You Can’t Dance to Be-Bop.

This event and concert will take place at our favorite performance venue, the Shorewood Bar & Grill in Fridley, MN. The Shorewood is a great place to hang out, eat, drink, and listen to music. We’ll hit promptly at 7pm and play till 10. Consider this to be your formal invitation — we’d love to see everyone there.

• What: CD release party for Nova’s new album, Who Says You Can’t Dance to Bebop
• When: Tuesday, October 25, 7pm-10pm
• Where: Shorewood Bar & Grill in Fridley
• Admission: Free

This is a quick message to let everyone know that the Nova Contemporary Jazz Orchestra is playing at the Shorewood Bar & Grill tonight, September 27. Come on out! As usual, we start at 7pm and will play till 10. Other important news: our recently completed recording consisting of Bill Mathieu compositions is available at Amazon for pre-order. This double disk set, which will be released by Tantara productions and is titled Double Feature Volume 2, also features Kenton’s exciting 1959 band performing at the Blue Note in Chicago and the Red Hill Inn in New Jersey.

As we hinted in our last post here, exciting things are happening with the Nova Contemporary Jazz Orchestra this fall. First, we’re pleased to announce that our 8th CD, Who Says You Can’t Dance to Bebop, will be released soon. We’ll have a big CD release party at the Shorewood Bar & Grill on Tuesday, October 25 at 7pm.

This new recording, which promises to be one of Nova’s best, features 9 works by Minnesotan composers who write in the jazz idiom, some of whom are members of our orchestra.

• What: CD release party for Nova’s new recording, Who Says You Can’t Dance to Bebop
• When: Tuesday, October 25, 7pm
• Where: Shorewood Bar & Grill in Fridley
• Admission: Free

Everyone is invited to our CD release party. Come and bring a friend! Also, see what Barry Harris says about dancing to bebop.

Nova, Jazz from J to Z and KBEM Celebrate Kenton’s 100th

Back in February, we noted here that composer Bill Mathieu came to visit Nova to rehearse 14 compositions he had originally written for the Stan Kenton Orchestra in the late 50s. While Mathieu’s arranging talents were featured on Standards In Silhouette, Kenton never recorded the works rehearsed and performed by Nova. We’d like to formally announce that the Nova Contemporary Jazz Orchestra has recorded every one of Bill Mathieu’s heretofore unrecorded compositions written for Stan Kenton. As a result of that project, Nova is delighted to take part in another big event:

• What: TCJS/Big Band Scene Stan Kenton 100th birthday celebration and CD Release Party. 1st set: Minnetonka High School Jazz Band I. 2nd Set: Nova Contemporary Jazz Orchestra’s 14 newly recorded works by Bill Mathieu*

  *Nova’s studio recording of these compositions will be released by Tantara Productions.

• When: Thursday, December 1, 2011, 7:30pm
• Where: 18285 Highway 7, Minnetonka, MN 55345-4131 (Arts Center)
• Admission: Adults: $10 Students: $5 TCJS/KBEM Members: $7