Westchester Jazz Orchestra Opens 9th Season at Irivington Town Hall Theater

The suburbs aren’t usually regarded as the most fertile ground for jazz music. As the stereotype goes, most of the best playing happens in late-night jam sessions long after the last train pulls out of Grand Central Station.

Over the past decade, however, several top-flight jazz musicians have moved to Westchester, particularly to the Rivertowns. Seven years ago, a group of cats formed the Westchester Jazz Orchestra and their performances and recordings have received raves.

The 16-piece group opens its new season at their home base, Irvington Town Hall Theater, on September 24 in a performance that features saxophone giant Joe Lovano, who has been on the orchestra’s advisory board since the organization formed in 2003.

“If you look at our roster, the whole idea behind the formation of the Westchester Jazz Orchestra is that some of the best players in New York live right here in the county,” said executive director Emily Tabin. “We wanted to give them a voice in their own county.“

The list of musicians, and the people for whom they've played, is impressive. Hastings resident Jay Bradford, for example, has performed or recorded with Aretha Franklin, cabaret legend Bobby Short and the Duke Ellington orchestra under the bandleader’s son, Mercer Ellington. He also plays in the pit of the Broadway show Billy Elliott.

“If you want to be close to the New York scene and raise family in the suburbs, this is the place to be,” he said. “I love the greenery, the hills, the winding roads. I like how it’s small, but kind of a big jumble with older houses mixed with newer ones.”

Musically, he’s in good company and sites several well-known jazz cats who live in Hastings, including guitarist Jay Azzolina and Mark Lopeman. Harvie S, who plays with Azzolina in the Hastings Jazz Collective, performs with several major musicians and also holds down the bass chair in the Westchester Jazz Orchestra.

Tabin touts the group’s new CD, Maiden Voyage Suite, an homage to Herbie Hancock, which has garnered several great reviews and is in the top 20 in national airplay for new jazz releases.

Through a combination of grants, donations and other income, the orchestra is profitable and strives to keep ticket prices low “so constituents can patronize our concerts for not a lot of bread,” said Tabin, who lived in Chappaqua.

Town Hall, the group’s home base, “is a great venue,” said Branford. “We don’t need much amplification and our sound is a natural fit for room. The group also performs at the Emelin Theatre in Mamaroneck and the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville.

Bradford has been with the orchestra since its inception. He heard about the opportunity through the grapevine. “It’s been great musically,” he said. “We’re a great team with a healthy, productive feeling.”

Having a director like Tabin deal with the business end of the operations lets the musicians concentrate on their sphere of influence.

“She takes care of so many business things,” he said. “It makes us feel like we’re well taken care of as individuals and there’s respect for what we’re doing.”