Bill Yeager Jazz Orchestra (BYJO) Plays The Music Of Chick Corea
BYJO plays the music of Chick Corea
A DownBeat Hall of Famer and NEA Jazz Master, 27-time Grammy winner, and keyboard virtuoso, Chick Corea has attained living legend status after five decades of unparalleled creativity and an artistic output that is simply staggering.
Chick is one of the most-nominated artist in the history of the Grammys, with 71 nominations. He's also earned 3 Latin Grammy Awards, the most of any artist in the Best Instrumental Album category.
From straight ahead to avant-garde, bebop to fusion, children's songs to chamber music, along with some far-reaching forays into symphonic works, Chick has touched an astonishing number of musical bases in his illustrious career while maintaining a standard of excellence that is awe-inspiring. A tirelessly creative spirit, Chick continues to forge ahead, continually reinventing himself in the process.
The Bill Yeager Jazz Orchestra (BYJO), in residence at San Diego State University, is comprised of some of the finest jazz talent in Southern California. It is largely comprised from alumni from Yeager’s 36 years as Director of Jazz Studies at San Diego State University and his 10 years as Founder/Director of the Los Angeles Jazz Workshop.
All the music performed on this concert are original compositions by jazz great Chick Corea. All arrangements are by Mats Holmquist except “La Fiesta” arranged by Peter Herbolzheimer and " Eternal Child" arranged by Pierre Drevet. They have been rearranged for the 20-piece Bill Yeager Jazz Orchestra.
You can watch the BYJO's complete live performance of the Chick Corea Concert here:
PERSONNEL
DIRECTOR - Bill Yeager
WOODWINDS
Christopher Hollyday
Charlie Arbelaez
Tim Nunnink
Chaz Cabrera
Bradley Nash
TRUMPETS
1. Brad Steinwehe
2. Billy Edwall
3. Lois Fasman
4. Karl Soukup
5. Jeff Beck
6. Derek Cannon
TROMBONES
1. Matt Hall
2. Kevin Esposito
3. Paul Nowell
4. Brandon Jagow
RHYTHM
Piano. Anthony Smith
Guitar. Louis Valenzuela
Bass. Mack Leighton
Drums. Tim McMahon
Vibes/Percussion. Chris Potente
PROGRAM
Christopher Hollyday, clarinet
Louis Valenzuela, guitar
Bradley Nash, baritone sax
Tim McMahon, drums
Brad Steinwehe, trumpet
Anthony Smith, piano
Christopher Hollyday, soprano sax
Chris Potente, vibes
John Rekevics, tenor sax
Anthony Smith, piano
The Saxophone Section
Tim Nunnink, tenor sax
Anthony Smith, piano
Matt Hall, trombone
Chaz Cabrera, alto sax
Derek Cannon, trumpet
Tim McMahon, drums
PRODUCERS
Executive Producer: Bill Yeager
Produced by: San Diego State University Foundation
The Pitt Warner Endowment
KPBS Television
LOCATION SERVICES
Recorded "Live at SDSU Smith Recital Hall" Oct. 22, 2022
Peggy Shannon, Dean College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts
Kevin Delgado, SDSU Director School of Music and Dance
AUDIO PRODUCTION
Recording Engineer James Linahon, LMP Studios
House Engineer: Nick Czerwiec
FILM PRODUCTION
Producer: Markus Burger, Septer Media
Associate Producer: Louis Valenzuela, Electric Louie Land
Camera crew: Justin Joyce and Joel Ginsberg
FILM POST PRODUCTION
Film Editor: Louis Valenzuela, Electric Louie Land
Audio Mix/Mastering: James Linahon, LMP Studios
Bill Yeager has a diverse musical background, both as a conductor, performer, composer/arranger and educator. He is an Emeritus Professor of Music at San Diego State University and is a well-known studio/jazz/classical trombonist performing on hundreds of records (Ray Charles), films (Rocky), TV shows (Bob Hope) and commercials (Apple).
Bill has performed with such artists as Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Sarah Vaughn, Mel Torme and Dizzy Gillespie, to name a few, and has toured throughout the world. He has played in practically every big band in the LA/San Diego area including long time associations with Louie Bellson and Les Brown.
Bill played lead trombone in Louie Bellson’s band for 17 years. Bellson donated his entire music library to Yeager, that now resides at SDSU. This concert is comprised of some of the challenging music from his extensive library.