Some young jazz musicians are going to get their newest music played by a full orchestra. The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra is one of three orchestras which work with the American Composers Orchestra to bring in young jazz composers and mentors to work with a full orchestra for a day and then get an opportunity to hear their music played by a full orchestra in a public performance.Dukes aren't unknown in classical music, like the Duke of Chandos who supported Handel. The BPO is getting more interested in the music and genre of another Duke Ellington.
This is the third year the BPO has been involved with a training program through the American Composers Orchestra, which brings a series of jazz musicians here along with mentors to have their newly-written music played by the BPO and performed in a full concert by the full orchestra, sometimes even an enhanced orchestra for jazz.
Orhestra Executive Director Dan Hart says the musicians get a chance to be critiqued by musicians from the orchestra in an ear shot. Hart says the timing is interesting.
"Really, it's ironic that we are just now releasing on the Naxos label our music of Duke Ellington. Duke was a great proponent of orchestral music. He wrote a lot of things for the orchestra. We recorded it last year and it's just getting released," said Hart.
Hart says the music writers will be here for the April 23 and 24 event might get a chance to visit the Colored Musicians Club to learn something of the history of their music.
