Claire Daly is the maven of baritone saxophone. After attending the Berklee College of Music, her professional career has included anchoring the sax section in the Diva Big Band for 7 years, freelancing in New York doing every imaginable kind of gig, recording CDs under her own name, and appearing on film scores, jingles, and of course in many festivals and venues. In October 2005, the William Jefferson Clinton Library requested a copy of her first CD ("Swing Low"), to be included in a listening station as a CD significant to the former president while in office. Six-time winner of the Down Beat Critic's Poll "Talent Deserving Wider Recognition" and winner of the Jazz Journalist Association "Baritone Sax of the Year '05" category, Claire travels worldwide, performing as a bandleader and sideperson. A mainstay in the saxophone section of the American Jazz Repertory Orchestra, Claire makes a return to the Pittsfield CityJazz Festival this year, having been featured in our Women In Jazz night in 2007....
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Claire Daly is the maven of baritone saxophone. After attending the Berklee College of Music, her professional career has included anchoring the sax section in the Diva Big Band for 7 years, freelancing in New York doing every imaginable kind of gig, recording CDs under her own name, and appearing on film scores, jingles, and of course in many festivals and venues. In October 2005, the William Jefferson Clinton Library requested a copy of her first CD ("Swing Low"), to be included in a listening station as a CD significant to the former president while in office. Six-time winner of the Down Beat Critic's Poll "Talent Deserving Wider Recognition" and winner of the Jazz Journalist Association "Baritone Sax of the Year '05" category, Claire travels worldwide, performing as a bandleader and sideperson. A mainstay in the saxophone section of the American Jazz Repertory Orchestra, Claire makes a return to the Pittsfield CityJazz Festival this year, having been featured in our Women In Jazz night in 2007.
The American Jazz Repertory Orchestra is directed by Clem DeRosa, a member of the Jazz Hall of Fame, a composer, author, professional big-band drummer and pioneer in Jazz education. During his military career, DeRosa served with one of Glenn Miller's Air Corps Bands, and later took one of Miller’s “ghost bands” on a tour of European concert and dance dates. He has also taken the legacy band of Benny Goodman on the road. DeRosa was on the founding faculty of Stan Kenton’s Stage Band Camps (later known as the Kenton Clinics), and was a founder and is a former president of the International Association for Jazz Education. DeRosa formed American Jazz Venues (AJV) as a vehicle to create new, younger audiences for jazz, and to develop new opportunities for musicians to perform their art. The American Jazz Repertory Orchestra is the musical arm of AJV. Tonight's performance comprises a new program for AJRO: "The Great American Jazz Book," a cross-section of important, representative works in jazz, America's classical music, our cultural gift to the world.
The Berkshires Jazz Youth Ensemble is an all-star big band comprising students from across the county. The band first appeared in 2007 with guest soloist John Medeski; augmented by a strings section in 2008, the Berkshires Jazz Youth Orchestra appeared with the New Black Eagle Jazz Band, performing traditional jazz compositions that had been adapted for symphony configuration; in 2009, back to its familiar big-band setup, the band opened for the Dave Brubeck quartet, and played one number with Brubeck as guest soloist. This year, they perform with Claire Daly, and will join the American Jazz Repertory Orchestra onstage for the finale of the festival. The band is directed by Ron Lively of Pittsfield High School. The dedicated student musicians rehearse on their own time, after hours. The foundation for the band is the knowledge that the study of music improves students' learning abilities in all areas, especially science, technology, engineering, and math.
The sixth annual Pittsfield CityJazz Festival, which takes place Oct. 8-21, 2010 in venues around the city. Most events are free. Headline concerts on Oct. 15-16. Details at www.BerkshiresJazz.org
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