Kari Musil & The Freedom Of Jazz Orchestra at Schmidt Brewery Artist Lofts

The Freedom of Jazz Orchestra, a new and adventurous big band performing the premiere of an exciting, original jazz musical about friendship, is led by award winning jazz composer, Kari Musil. "Friendship" was made possible by a grant from the American Composers Forum with funds provided by the Jerome Foundation.

Kari Musil has been composing music for jazz orchestra since 1981. She has written many compositions that have been performed by various ensembles in Minnesota and Wisconsin – Moorhead State University Stage Band, University of MN Jazz Ensemble 1, UMD Jazz Ensemble, Northland College Jazz Ensemble (Ashland, WI), Big Time Jazz Orchestra (Duluth), Big Woods Big Band (NW Wisconsin), NOVA Contemporary Jazz Orchestra, Take Four Saxophone Quartet, BADFIT, and IMP ORK. In 2011 she received a Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative grant to record her first album, The Music of Kari Musil, with the NOVA Jazz Orchestra and featuring vocalist Leslee McKee, and poet J. Otis Powell. NOVA has also performed her compositions on three of their CDs. Ms. Musil has studied large ensemble jazz composition with Dave Rivello (Eastman School of Music) via Skype since 2012. She has also been greatly influenced by teachers Ed Berger, Ron McCurdy, John Devine, and mentor, Anita Brown. She is currently playing tenor saxophone with the Swing Sisterhood Big Band....

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The Freedom of Jazz Orchestra, a new and adventurous big band performing the premiere of an exciting, original jazz musical about friendship, is led by award winning jazz composer, Kari Musil. "Friendship" was made possible by a grant from the American Composers Forum with funds provided by the Jerome Foundation.

Kari Musil has been composing music for jazz orchestra since 1981. She has written many compositions that have been performed by various ensembles in Minnesota and Wisconsin – Moorhead State University Stage Band, University of MN Jazz Ensemble 1, UMD Jazz Ensemble, Northland College Jazz Ensemble (Ashland, WI), Big Time Jazz Orchestra (Duluth), Big Woods Big Band (NW Wisconsin), NOVA Contemporary Jazz Orchestra, Take Four Saxophone Quartet, BADFIT, and IMP ORK. In 2011 she received a Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative grant to record her first album, The Music of Kari Musil, with the NOVA Jazz Orchestra and featuring vocalist Leslee McKee, and poet J. Otis Powell. NOVA has also performed her compositions on three of their CDs. Ms. Musil has studied large ensemble jazz composition with Dave Rivello (Eastman School of Music) via Skype since 2012. She has also been greatly influenced by teachers Ed Berger, Ron McCurdy, John Devine, and mentor, Anita Brown. She is currently playing tenor saxophone with the Swing Sisterhood Big Band.

The Freedom of Jazz Orchestra musicians:
Stephanie Wieseler – lead alto, flute, clarinet
Felix James – alto, flute
Sue Leigh – lead tenor, soprano
Jimmie Wallace – tenor
Marion Dooley – bari
Kari Coad – lead trumpet, flugelhorn
Graham Martin – trumpet, flugelhorn
Alex Browne – trumpet, flugelhorn
Larry Sims – trumpet, flugelhorn
Michael Larson – lead trombone
Brad Bellows – valve trombone
Joy Judge – trombone
Ike Wagner – bass trombone
Margo Breivik – bass
Jendeen Forberg – drums
John Hyvarinen – guitar
Jamela Pettiford – vocals
Brandon Steele – MC, spoken word artist

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