Quartet of Happiness (2007)

Quartet of Happiness takes modern jazz and infuses it with a hefty dose of cheekiness and irreverent humor, wrapping it all up in the sort of theatrics reminiscent of Blue Man Group.  The group has made it its mission to take jazz out of the ivory tower and make it accessible to a wide-ranging audience.  Playing games, wearing costumes, and engaging the audience with their antics, the Quartet of Happiness’ performances are at times reminiscent of a cross between an improv comedy show and a theater of the bizarre.  It’s part jazz, part performance art, and all of it the child of insane wit.

Ayn Inserto Jazz Orchestra (2006)
Clairvoyance - featuring Bob Brookmeyer and George Garzone

The Ayn Inserto Jazz Orchestra (AIJO) is a full big band based in Boston that has recently performed with Bob Brookmeyer, George Garzone, Joe Lovano and Frank Tiberi at venues such as the Berklee Performance Center, The Zeitgeist Gallery/Lily Pad, the Western Front Club and Jazz at Lincoln Center Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola in NYC. The ensemble performs originals and arrangements of Ayn Inserto, who is highly influenced by Bob Brookmeyer, Maria Schneider and Jim McNeely. The jazz orchestra recently finished a recording with Bob Brookmeyer and George Garzone. Ms. Inserto thrives to make her music swing with a modern twist and her orchestra will not fail to produce a thrilling performance.

Jay Foote's UBUNTU! (2006)

"[UBUNTU!] sank its tentacles deep into my mind and would not let go for days on end...There is something of the corn-fed, open, friendly and slower-paced Midwestern outlook about the band, which, however, has been melded with a New York City eclecticism and intensity." – Budd Kopman, Allaboutjazz.com

UBUNTU! is a five-piece improvising ensemble that performs the music of bassist Jay Foote. The band has performed in the Midwest and all over the East Coast --- most notably performing at the Iowa City Jazz Festival in 2006, Boston's Zeitgeist Gallery and the Knitting Factory in NYC. The band's debut self-titled recording was selected by Budd Kopman as one of the Best of 2006 on Allaboutjazz.com. The band continues to perform in and around the New York City area and will be releasing their second album in the summer of 2007.

Colin Stack & the left overs (2006)
BANG! BAM! BOOM!

The Leftovers are an orchestral/pop fifteen-piece chamber ensemble from Boston, MA that is comprised of strings, brass, woodwinds, saxophones, and pitched percussion. The group is lead and directed by composer/songwriter/singer Colin Stack, who assembled the group in the fall of 2003 with his fellow classmates from the New England Conservatory.

Colin creates a kaleidoscope of different soundscapes in his orchestrations for The Leftovers. He places the orchestra in the forefront along with the voice, providing a caffeinated tapestry of sound and activity. While drafting his original ideas on manuscript paper, he decided that he wanted to embark on a project that would blend his love of early film music (Bernard Herrmann, Carl Stalling, Franz Waxman, and Alex North) with that of cutting edge singer/songwriter/performers such as Tom Waits, Nick Cave, Leonard Cohen, Elvis Costello, and Randy Newman. The ending result is BANG! BAM! BOOM! – a fourteen song collection that is a hybrid of contemporary classical and 1920s vaudeville with a modern twist. Guaranteed to provide the music lover with something different; Colin Stack and The Leftovers promise to deliver a listening experience that cannot be compared to anything else out there today!

Georgi Sareski (2006)
Elflandia

The music is tightly arranged yet spontaneous, majestic and lyrical. The compositions are beautiful and powerful, revealing that Sareski not only has an ear for melodies, but also is a composer with a fertile imagination and capability for arrangements that seamlessly shift between the contemporary and the traditional. The music on Elflandia centers around the opening three-part Mourning Suite. By avoiding a conventional rhythm section on the first part, “Funeral,” Sareski and his consorts create an ensemble sound which recalls the intimacy of a small jazz group while delving into the territory of chamber music. This feeling pervades the rest of the tracks.  – Nenad Georgievski, AllAboutJazz.com

University of Northern Iowa Jazz Band One (2002)
West Coasting

The last UNI Jazz Band One (Sea Breeze Vista: SBV-4547) recording to be made under the leadership of Robert Washut, West Coasting is culled from two separate recording sessions and a live concert.

University of Northern Iowa Jazz Band One (2001)
Leap of Faith

Leap of Faith is UNI Jazz Band One’s 10th CD in as many years. The disc features two charts specially commissioned for the 50th Anniversary of Sinfonian Dimensions in Jazz celebration.

University of Northern Iowa Jazz Band One (2000)
At Dusk

The ninth CD release by UNI Jazz Band One and the second one for the Sea Breeze Vista label, At Dusk features an eclectic program of big band jazz. The title track was arranged for Jazz Band One by Rob Hudson, whose chart on Bill Evan’s Very Early is also included.

University of Northern Iowa Jazz Band One (1999)
Just Us

Just Us is UNI Jazz Band One’s eighth CD. Released by the Sea Breeze Vista label, the recording documents the work of the 1998-99 band.

University of Northern Iowa Jazz Band One (1998)
Games

Jazz Band One’s seventh compact disc recording, Games, was released in October of 1998. Selections include arrangements and compositions by Washut and Todd Munnik, a graduate student in the Master of Music in Jazz Pedagogy program.