Thad Jones Centennial + Special Guest Dave O’Higgins

Thad Jones was one of the most influential composers and arrangers in jazz history. As he would have celebrated his 100th birthday in 2023, Gary Smulyan approached Austrian drummer Bernd Reiter with the idea of a special ‘Centennial’ project to honour Thad with specialists of his music. And no one knows Thad’s repertoire better than Dick Oatts (alto sax), Gary Smulyan (baritone sax) and Joe Magnarelli (trumpet), who were closely associated with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra - now the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra - for more than 40 years. Thad’s music is mostly played by big bands all over the world. This project presents the music in a small group (sextet) setting, as many compositions by Thad were originally written for quintet/sextet and arranged for a big band at a later date. So, the line-up leaves a lot of space for the soloists and everyone in the band gets a chance to really play on the tunes. Performing at the Bird’s Eye Jazz Club in Basel, Switzerland happened at the end of their tour in 2023, so it was also a great opportunity to do a live recording after having been on the road for so long. No rehearsal was necessary; the band could just go to the club and play, which was a special and privileged situation.

Ubuntu Music, the London-based record label, will release Thad Jones Centennial: Live at Bird’s Eye in November. The MusicBox performance is a celebration of the music, the musicians and the album’s availability throughout the world.

Gary Smulyan

The baritone saxophonist is a four-time winner of the Down Beat Critic’s and Reader’s Poll and a multiple winner of numerous other official polls including the Jazz Journalists Award for Baritone Saxophonist of the Year. He is a six-time GRAMMY award winner for his work with B.B. King, Joe Lovano, Dave Holland and the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra.

Dick Oatts

Alto saxophonist Dick Oatts moved to New York City in 1977. Shortly thereafter, he joined the Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Orchestra. Since then, he has toured, recorded, and performed as a sideman in small groups with Bob Brookmeyer, Red Rodney, Eddie Gomez, Mel Lewis, Jerry Bergonzi, Joe Lovano, Dom Salvador, Jon Faddis, David Berkman, Flim & the BBs, Ray Mantilla, Fred Hersch, Joe Morello, Lalo Schiffrin and others.

Joe Magnarelli

In 1986, trumpet ace Joe Magnarelli moved to New York City and joined vibes innovator Lionel Hampton’s Orchestra. That association led to tenures with organist Brother Jack McDuff’s septet, jazz singer laureate Jon Hendricks’s group, pianist Harry Connick Jr.’s Orchestra, and conga dynamo Ray Barretto’s New World Sextet. As a freelance trumpet player, Magnarelli has had the opportunity to play engagements in New York and around the world with Aretha Franklin, Rosemary Clooney, Joe Williams, Mel Tormé, Johnny Mathis and the Glenn Miller Orchestra. Mags has also performed such jazz and pop luminaries such as Dr. John, Leon Russell, Liberace, the Manhattan Transfer, Freddie Hubbard and Al Jarreau.

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