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Dayton Jazz Orchestra and DJO Combo have active playing schedules
Sunday, July 20, 2008
The Dayton Jazz Orchestra has been a musical staple in the Gem City in recent years. The group evolved from an informal reading band in 1993 to a concert ensemble and educational group.
The band has maintained an active performing schedule this summer, and today, July 20, listeners can hear some of the band's key players in a small-group setting. The DJO Combo, a subset of the big band, plays on the Town Square stage at The Greene in Beavercreek from 1 to
4 p.m.
The combo will include saxophonist Rick Johnston, trumpeter Al Parr, trombonist Tom Billing, guitarist Jim Smith, bassist Chris Brown and drummer Jim Leslie.
The big band can be heard at 7 p.m. July 30 at the Fraze Pavilion in Kettering. The group will be led by trumpeter John Harner, who shares musical director responsibilities with trombonist Vaughn Wiester.
Harner, formerly lead trumpet for the renowned Stan Kenton Orchestra, considers the DJO to be "Dayton's elite jazz musicians."
Parr says that the energy created by the personnel makes the DJO the unique group that it is.
"The camaraderie is the key for me," says Parr. "With the chemistry and personality of the musicians we have now, everyone has a good time."
Lead alto saxophonist Johnston, who has worked with the big bands of Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, agrees with his bandmates in the trumpet section.
"There are more of the higher-caliber players in the area," he says, which gives them more repertoire options. "We play a little higher quality music that's more difficult ... a lot of jazz pieces that other groups don't play."
Parr says that although the group gets adventurous at times, it is still audience-friendly.
"We play what we want, but it's never too far out in left field," he says. "It's always a very listenable program."
Harner says that the DJO's bread and butter is still the classic arrangements from the libraries of Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Woody Herman, Stan Kenton and the like.
One thing the musicians appreciate is the band's extensive collection of high-quality arrangements, many of which were donated by the group's founder and original leader, tenor saxophonist Hap Ashenfelter.
Over the years, the band has performed with guest artists such as Phil Woods, Maria Schneider, Diane Schuur and Bobby Shew.
In recent years, the guest artists also have served as clinicians at the DJO-led Miami Valley Jazz Summer Camp. This year's featured performer was the internationally acclaimed saxophonist and composer Don Braden.
The guest performers have added star power and bursts of excitement, but the success of the DJO remains in its core of local talent, which makes it a musical landmark of Dayton.
