The Brucker-Weisse-Canterbury Jazz Orchestra Honors Jazz Giants with Vintage and Modern Charts

The year-old Brucker-Weisse-Canterbury Jazz Orchestra boasts a deep pedigree through charts bequeathed from an earlier jazz giant who led a celebrated 1960s big band here.

The BWC plays Thursday, July 13, at WAMC’s The Linda (339 Central Ave., Albany), performing both vintage and more modern charts.

The big-band arrangements that trumpeter and pianist Al Quaglieri crafted for the Albany Jazz Workshop came to BWC founder Cliff Brucker via Al Quaglieri Jr., a notable jazz talent, record producer, and archivist in his own right.

Brucker, a drummer, pianist and teacher, partnered with trumpeters Steve Weisse and Dylan Canterbury to form the BWC.

Somewhat elastic, the lineup has solidified through a year of regular open rehearsals in Schenectady venues. On Thursday, July 13, it will feature Jim Corigliano, Paul Evoskevich, Dave Fisk, Kevin Barcomb, Wally Johnson, and Kaitlyn Fay; saxophones (Fay also sings); Steve Weisse, Jon Bronk, Nathaniel McKeever, Mike Banewicz, trumpets; Ken Olsen, Don Mikkelsen, Travis Malone, and Shaun Bazylewicz, trombones; Wayne Hawkins, piano; Dave Shoudy, bass; and Brucker, drums. Canterbury also plays trumpet and serves as conductor.

Canterbury, Fisk, Fay, and Malone also play regularly in Keith Pray’s Big Soul Ensemble, the last Tuesday of the month at the Cock ’N’ Bull in Galway; other BWC members have played as subs.

Al Quaglieri Jr. says he bequeathed “somewhere around 100” of his late father’s charts to Brucker.  He explained, (Brucker) “had a jazz big band at SCC. I had asked a lot of people (to take and play the charts) prior to him, including North Texas State University, a notorious breeding ground for big bands. (Brucker) said, ‘Sure.’”

Quaglieri has seen the BWC band play his dad’s charts (and others) and is impressed. “It’s a great band, and they’ve done them justice. Their lead arranger (Canterbury) even finished an unfinished original of my dad’s, and it was amazing.”

Despite the pandemic, the area’s big band tradition has endured or resumed. In recent years, these outfits have included Pray’s Big Soul Ensemble, the Empire Jazz Orchestra, Phil Allen’s Concert Jazz Band, and the Peg Delaney Big Band. Some are more active than others, reflecting the challenges of assembling, rehearsing, and staging such sizable ensembles.

The BWC also plays A Place for Jazz on Sept. 22 at the Carl B. Taylor Auditorium in the Begley Building at SUNY Schenectady. 

Canterbury listed some songs the BWC will play Thursday, July 13, at WAMC’s The Linda: 

• “When Sunny Gets Blue” (Fisher/Segal, arr. Al Quaglieri)
• “Bill’s Riff” (Jim Corigliano)
• “Keepin’ On” (Dylan Canterbury)
• “Just Friends” (Kenner/Lewis, arr. Elias Assimakopoulos)
• “The Song Is You” (Kern/Hammerstein, arr. Bob Florence)
• “Kansas City Shout” (Ernie Wilkins)

 Show time is 7 p.m. Admission is $20, general admission. 518-465-5233 www.thelinda.org