Times Square Gossip

**** The Westchester Jazz Orchestra Presents The Music of Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles **** Stevie Wonder The Westchester Jazz Orchestra, a Runner Up for “Best Big Band” in the recent JazzTimes readers’ poll, will perform The Music of Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles on Saturday, April 14 at 8 PM at the Irvington Town Hall Theater, 85 Main Street, Irvington, NY. WBGO’s Gary Walker is set to host the concert. In October 2011, the Huffington Post said, “You must make it your business to see . . . WJO . . . this year.” The group’s recent performances have been advance sell-outs. “This concert will have broad appeal,” said Emily Tabin, WJO’s Executive Director. “Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles are legendary in pop, soul, R&B and jazz. Both are multiple-Grammy winners, crossover artists with fans of all ages.” The performance will feature WJO-commissioned world premieres of Ray Charles’ #1 hit “Hit the Road Jack” and of Wonder’s “Creepin’.” Also on the roster are “Don’t You Worry ‘Bo...

**** WESTCHESTER JAZZ ORCHESTRA TO PERFORM BOSSA! TANGO! FLAMENCO! ON JANUARY 28th IN IRVINGTON Music of South America and Spain showcased by world-class group **** Jay Brandford With Marvin Stamm, Ed Xiques And Larry Farrell The Westchester Jazz Orchestra – “the best we’ve had since those wonderful aggregations headed by Duke Ellington, Count Basie” (JazzScan.com) – will perform Bossa! Tango! Flamenco! on Saturday, January 28 at 8 PM at the Irvington Town Hall Theater, 85 Main Street, Irvington, NY. WBGO’s Gary Walker is set to host the concert. “Two years ago, WJO performed a program of South American music. The band played to a packed house and standing ovations,” says WJO’s Executive Director Emily Tabin. “For January’s concert, we are adding some flamenco as we revisit a crowd-pleasing evening.” WJO will also offer Open Mike, an interactive chat hosted by Artistic Director Mike Holober, before the concert. Holober will preview the evening’s music with the aid of returning gue...

Westchester Jazz Orchestra “You must make it your business to see . . . WJO . . . this year,” concluded the Huffington Post’s review of the Westchester Jazz Orchestra’s season opener in September. Music fans will have an opportunity to follow that directive as the sixteen-piece big band continues their season with Master Keys: The Music of Bill Evans, Ahmad Jamal and Herbie Hancock on Sat., Dec. 3, 8pm, at the Irvington Town Hall Theater. Gary Walker, Music Director and Morning Show Host at WBGO-FM, is set to host. WJO’s new CD, Maiden Voyage Suite, inspired by Herbie Hancock’s seminal Maiden Voyage album, is garnering enthusiastic accolades nationwide. Early reviews call the CD “flawless” (wordpress.com), “a new jazz classic” (jazzbob.com), and among the best CDs of 2011 (about.com and AllAboutJazz.com). Maiden Voyage Suite is the current CD of the Month Club selection of WBGO 88.3FM, the major jazz radio station for the NY metropolitan area. Since its August release, the CD has...

**** WESTCHESTER JAZZ ORCHESTRA KICKS OFF 9th SEASON IN IRVINGTON SEPTEMBER 24th Special guest Grammy-winning saxophonist Joe Lovano **** Joe Lovano The world-class Westchester Jazz Orchestra will begin their 2011-12 season on September 24 welcoming special guest Joe Lovano, the Grammy-winning saxophonist and composer. A jazz superstar, Mr. Lovano boasts an illustrious career as a leader, elite guest performer and wide-ranging collaborator. The concert will take place at 8 PM on Sat., Sept. 24 at the Irvington Town Hall Theater, 85 Main Street, Irvington, NY. “Open Mike,” an interactive chat with Joe Lovano hosted by Artistic Director Mike Holober, will begin at 7:15 and is free for ticket holders. Gary Walker, Music Director and Morning Show Host at WBGO-FM, is set to MC. With a roster of internationally renowned musicians, WJO “has built a reputation for … strikingly executed performances” (The New York Times). This status was further enhanc...

**** NEW CD “MAIDEN VOYAGE SUITE” Herbie Hancock’s classic 1965 album re-imagined on big-band’s second recording. * Featuring NYC’s top players including Marvin Stamm, Ralph Lalama, Ted Rosenthal, Harvie S, Jay Brandford, Jason Rigby, Jim Rotondi * **** Westchester Jazz Orchestra The summoning seas of creative adventure and superb jazz artistry await on the new CD from the Westchester Jazz Orchestra (WJO), Maiden Voyage Suite, an ambitious and powerful re-imagining of Herbie Hancock’s classic 1965 album. Set for release on August 16 on the band’s own label, Maiden Voyage Suite features WJO-commissioned arrangements from Artistic Director/Conductor Mike Holober, WJO saxophonist Jay Brandford and WJO trumpeter Tony Kadleck, as well as from frequent WJO contributor Pete McGuinness, the famed trombonist and Grammy-nominated big band leader. In the hands of such gifted writers, Maiden Voyage Suite beautifully balances the spirit and intention of the source material with the exploratory zeal...

**** TRUMPETER SCOTT WENDHOLT JOINS THE WESTCHESTER JAZZ ORCHESTRA **** Scott Wendholt Emily Tabin, Executive Director of the Westchester Jazz Orchestra , announced that trumpeter Scott Wendholt has joined WJO. Mr. Wendholt replaces Jim Rotondi, who moved abroad for a university teaching post. “We are sorry to see Jim leave, but we can’t imagine anyone better than Scott to fill his position,” Ms. Tabin said. Mr. Wendholt boasts an illustrious career. A member of the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra since 1996, he also performs with the John Fedchock NY Big Band, Bob Mintzer Big Band, and toured extensively with the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band. His five CDs as a leader have been well received and he is a faculty member of Purchase College and the Manhattan School of Music. He has also performed with WJO as a “substitute” player numerous times since his first gig with the Orchestra in April 2005. He says, “WJO is one of the great big bands on the New York scene. I really look forward to being a...

The Westchester Jazz Orchestra Emily Tabin, Executive Director of the Westchester Jazz Orchestra, announced that the organization has been selected for the Salute The ART's (“STAR”) Initiative of WNYC, New York’s flagship public radio station. As a STAR participant, WJO will benefit from on-air promotional announcements on WNYC 93.9 FM and AM 820, as well as on WQXR 105.9 FM, New York’s classical radio station. The Orchestra will also receive website support from these stations. “To be selected by WNYC is quite an honor,” said Ms. Tabin. “We are proud to join the roster of extraordinary arts organizations whose work has been highlighted by the STAR program." WJO’s radio and website coverage will begin during the second week of March and continue into April. WJO performs an annual concert series and additional concerts throughout the County. The group’s next season concert, “Monk Meets Mulligan,” will be held on Saturday, April 2, 8 PM, at the Irvington Town Hall Theater. G...

Lifestyle guru Martha Stewart is set to battle her New York state neighbors after locals voted to fight her attempts to trademark the town's name. Stewart's company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, already boasts a furniture collection bearing the name of her hometown of Katonah in Westchester County, but locals have objected to the trademark application filed to patent the name for use with other household products. The Katonah Village Improvement Society agreed on Monday to take legal action to prevent Stewart from using the Katonah name for future products, reports the New York Daily News. Bill Tisherman, vice president of the Improvement Society says, "They are just waiting to see if we have the stomach to proceed to any degree (with opposition). "If we don't proceed, then we lose." The town has until April 11 to make its case before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.