HISTORY
The HJO was started and organized as a Texas nonprofit corporation in 1989. It has been in continuous existence during the past 28 years with occasional periods of inactivity. In October of 2016 the HJO qualified for exemption as a 501(c)(3) organization.
The vision of the HJO is to be accessible to students who are studying and learning to play jazz music by filling the void left by the demise of the legacy professional touring orchestras. In the decades of the 1970’s and 80’s there were many professional big band orchestras touring and performing regularly. The orchestras of leaders Stan Kenton, Woody Herman, Buddy Rich, and Maynard Ferguson had touring schedules with heavy emphasis on performing at colleges and high schools in addition to the typical venues of clubs, theaters, and jazz festivals. These performances fostered the burgeoning jazz education movement by targeting young audiences with performances and master classes in high schools and colleges. Moreover, these orchestras recruited talented musicians from colleges with jazz programs most notably North Texas, Berklee College of Music, and University of Miami.
With the deaths of Kenton, Herman, and Rich in the 1980’s and the subsequent death of Ferguson in 2006, there are very few professional jazz orchestras performing publically. Although jazz education is more prolific in school systems and colleges than ever, there are few opportunities for students to hear, see, and interact with a professional orchestra performing the music they are studying in school. By performing regularly at a public venue, and scheduling clinics at area schools, the HJO will fill the void.
The HJO was started and organized as a Texas nonprofit corporation in 1989. It has been in continuous existence during the past 28 years with occasional periods of inactivity. In October of 2016 the HJO qualified for exemption as a 501(c)(3) organization.
The vision of the HJO is to be accessible to students who are studying and learning to play jazz music by filling the void left by the demise of the legacy professional touring orchestras. In the decades of the 1970’s and 80’s there were many professional big band orchestras touring and performing regularly. The orchestras of leaders Stan Kenton, Woody Herman, Buddy Rich, and Maynard Ferguson had touring schedules with heavy emphasis on performing at colleges and high schools in addition to the typical venues of clubs, theaters, and jazz festivals. These performances fostered the burgeoning jazz education movement by targeting young audiences with performances and master classes in high schools and colleges. Moreover, these orchestras recruited talented musicians from colleges with jazz programs most notably North Texas, Berklee College of Music, and University of Miami.
With the deaths of Kenton, Herman, and Rich in the 1980’s and the subsequent death of Ferguson in 2006, there are very few professional jazz orchestras performing publically. Although jazz education is more prolific in school systems and colleges than ever, there are few opportunities for students to hear, see, and interact with a professional orchestra performing the music they are studying in school. By performing regularly at a public venue, and scheduling clinics at area schools, the HJO will fill the void.
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