Widespread Jazz Orchestra

The Widespread Depression Orchestra was a nine-piece jazz ensemble founded in 1972 at Vermont's Marlboro College.

Initially, the group played 1950s style R&B and early rock and roll with guitars, piano, sax, bass guitar, drums, and a vocalist, but by the middle of the 1970s was operating as a big band revival group, in the style of the bands of Jimmie Lunceford, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and Lionel Hampton. The unit moved to New York City in 1978 under the leadership of Jon Holtzman, when it recorded the first of several full-length albums. In 1980 five of its members also played on their own as a bebop group.

Holtzman - better known as The Bronx Nightingale, left the group around 1982 to start his own band and recorded his first solo album - ''Let's Do It''. John Hammond Sr., a big fan of Jon's, graciously volunteered to write the liner notes. After Holtzman left Michael Hashim, the group's alto saxophonist, was named leader, and the musicians broadened their repertory to include swing and bop, featuring original arrangements by band members. Manager Michael Caplin renamed the group the Widespread Jazz Orchestra. WJO played at premier jazz clubs across America and around the world, and appeared at major music festivals including North Sea, Pori, Antibes, New Orleans, Montreal, Montreux + Taormina. Their 1985 Columbia Records album ''Paris Blues'', was produced by Dr. George Butler.

Discography

Widespread Depression Orchestra
* ''Downtown Uproar'', Stash (1979);
* ''Boogie in the Barnyard'', Stash (1980);
* ''Rockin' in Rhythm'', Phontastic (nl) ( Swd) (1980);
* ''Time to Jump and Shout'', Stash (1981);

Widespread Jazz Orchestra
* ''Swing is the Thing'', Adelphi (1982);
* ''Paris Blues'', Columbia Col (1984);

Members

At large

# Jordan Sandke, trumpet
# Tim Atherton, trombone
# Michael Hashim, soprano and alto sax, leader (1982 onwards)
# Dean Nicyper, tenor sax
# David Lillie, baritone sax
# Patrick Baron, piano
# Mike LeDonne, piano
# Roy Gerson, piano
# James Wimpfheimer, double bass
# Bill Conway, double bass
# Mark Minkler, double bass
# Bill Eldridge, drums
# John Ellis, drums, arrangement
# Charlie Braugham, drums
# Jon Holtzman, vocals, vibraphone, drums, leader (to 1982)
# Dan Barrett, trombone
# Tad Shull (de) (born 1955), tenor Sax
# Ronnie Wells, vocals
# Judy Niemack, vocals
# Bob Zuck, guitar, vocals
# Jeanne Holtzman, bass, vocals
# Nick McDougal, alto sax, guitar
# Diego Francesco Donaldo Bianco, tenor sax
# Michael Caplin, manager
# Paul Suihkonen, trumpet
# Jake Epstein, clarinet, sax, arranger
# Billy Grey, trumpet, vocals
# Jim Masters, trombone, vocals
# Randy Sandke, trumpet
# Joel Helleny, trombone
# Peter Ecklund, arranger
# John Dwight, arranger

By record
{{reflist, group=lower-alpha, 100em, refs=
''Downtown Uproar'' — Jordan Sandke, Atherton, Hashim, Nicyper, Little, Holtzman, LeDonne, Flanigan, Ellis
''Boogie in the Barnyard'' — Conway replaces Flanigan
''Rockin' in Rhythm'' — Jordan Sandke, Atherton, Wilber, Hashim, Nicyper, Lillie, Holtzman, LeDonne, Conway, Ellis
''Time to Jump and Shout'' — same except Nicyper
''Swing is the Thing'' — Grey, Jordan Sandke, Masters, Hashim, Shull, Lillie, Gerson, Conway, Ellis
''Paris Blues'' — Jordan Sandke, Randy Sandke, Helleny, Hashim, Shull, Lillie, LeDonne, Minkler, Braugham, Wells, Ellis, Ecklund, Dwight

References

* Gary W. Kennedy, "Widespread Depression Jazz Orchestra". '' Grove Jazz'' online.

Further reading

*W. R. Stokes: "Uplifting Depression", ''Washington Post'' (19 April 1979)
*W. R. Stokes: "The Little Big Band", ''Washington Post'' (2 March 1980)
*J. S. Wilson: "Jazz: Depression Quintet", ''New York Times'' (26 Dec 1980)
*C. Cioe: "Backbeat: Widespread Jazz – No Longer Depressed!", '' High Fidelity'', vol. 33 no. 7 (1983), p. 84 (with discography)
*J. S. Wilson: "A New Big Band Identity", ''New York Times'' (19 May 1988)

American jazz ensembles
Musical groups from Vermont
Musical groups established in 1972
Big bands