Full Concert - Bill Yeager Jazz Orchestra (BYJO) plays the Music of Louie Bellson

“BYJO Plays the Music of Louie Bellson”

Saturday, October 16th, 2021
San Diego State University
Smith Recital Hall

Louie Bellson was deemed “the world’s greatest musician” by Duke Ellington, “the epitome of musical talent and a very gifted composer and arranger” by Oscar Peterson, and “the best person I ever met” by Tony Bennett.

He performed on more than 200 albums with a range of artists, including Duke Ellington, Oscar Peterson, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, Woody Herman, Dizzy Gillespie, Louie Armstrong, Lionel Hampton, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, James Brown, Sammy Davis Jr., Tony Bennett, Mel Torme, Joe Williams, Wayne Newton, and Bellson's first wife Pearl Bailey.

Bellson composed more than 1,000 pieces and wrote a dozen books on drums and percussion. He received the prestigious American Jazz Masters Award from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1994. He was also the recipient of awards from ASCAP and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, was a six-time Grammy nominee, and held four honorary doctorates.

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 formed 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.

PROGRAM

Explosion arr. Matt Catingub
Charlie Arbelaez, alto
Christopher Hollyday, alto
Don Kuhli, drums

A Salute to Elvis Costello arr. Matt Catingub
Tim Nunnink, tenor
Markus Burger, piano
Karl Soukup, flugelhorn

Time Check arr. Don Menza
Chaz Cabrera, tenor
Tim Nunnink, tenor
Louis Valenzuela, guitar

Concord Blues arr. Don Menza
Chis Potente, vibes
Christopher Hollyday, alto
Mack Leighton, bass

Stars in a Lonely Sky arr. Paul McKee
Matt Hall, trombone

Cinderella’s Waltz arr. Don Menza
Markus Burger, piano
Derek Cannon, trumpet

Santos arr. Matt Catingub
Chaz Cabrera, tenor
Brad Steinwehe, trumpet
Don Kuhli, drums
Billy Edwall, trumpet

PERSONNEL

DIRECTOR
Bill Yeager

SAXES
Alto 1: Christopher Hollyday
Alto 2: Charlie Arbelaez
Tenor 1: Tim Nunnink
Tenor 2: Chaz Cabrera
Baritone: Bradley Nash

TRUMPETS
Brad Steinwehe
Jeff Beck
Billy Edwall
Karl Soukup
Derek Cannon

TROMBONES
Matt Hall
Kevin Esposito
Jordan Morita
Brandon Jagow

RHYTHM
Piano: Markus Burger
Guitar: Louis Valenzuela
Bass: Mack Leighton
Drums: Don Kuhli
Vibes/Percussion: Chris Potente

PRODUCERS
Executive Producer: Bill Yeager
Produced by the San Diego State University Foundation
The Pitt Warner Endowment
KPBS Television

LOCATION SERVICES
Recorded "Live at SDSU Smith Recital Hall" Oct. 16, 2021
Adela de la Torre, President of SDSU
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

A SPECIAL THANKS TO
Gene Aitken and Ijazzmusic
https://www.ijazzmusic.com
for their continued support of the BYJO

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.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE BILL YEAGER JAZZ ORCHESTRA CONTACT:
[email protected]