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New York’s Finest Jazz Ensemble INDIE Life Big City Attorneys, Policemen Find Rewards in Peer Jazz Bands A courtroom can be a lot like theater—especially when it serves as an after-hours rehearsal space for a group of Windy City lawyers. The Barristers Big Band, whose members include about 25 Chicago-area attorneys and a judge, makes a strong case for musically talented career professionals who escape the grind by banding together into jazz ensembles of their peers. Equally compelling is the work done by New York’s Finest Jazz Ensemble, a big band of full-time policemen who share a love for swing, improvisation and charity. An outgrowth of the Chicago Bar Association Symphony Orchestra, the Barristers Big Band was formed in May 2000. Since its first year, the group has practiced every Monday evening in the U.S. Federal District courtroom of Judge Blanche Manning, who occupies one of the tenor sax chairs. The group plays a free annual fall concert as well as a spring charitable ball. Other gigs pop up throughout the year— such as weddings, dances and outdoor noontime concerts—giving them a chance to work out new charts in front of an audience. Their repertoire ranges from Count Basie and Benny Goodman to Charles Mingus, Dizzy Gillespie and even original compositions by former Basie trumpeter and arranger Bob Ojeda, who has performed with the group. With full rhythm, brass, saxes and a quartet of vocalists, the Barristers Big Band performs at a level equivalent to a college ensemble. The vibe of camaraderie and relaxation draws talented attorneys into their ranks and brings audiences to their performances, more so than any showcase of chops or jazz virtuosity. “I might spend a whole day fighting with people on the phone,” said bandleader and clarinetist John Vishneski at a party following the Barristers’ fall 2008 concert. “I might be mad. But when I leave and walk from my office to the federal court building, I cool off. When I get there I’m ready to have fun, to be energetic. It’s a different mind-set.” Pianist Steve Thomas, a founding member of the Barristers who also plays in their affiliated small group, Scales of Justice, noted the irony of having lawyers operate a big band out of a federal courthouse. “There are people who are being tried for their lives in this place all the time, so the incongruity of it was overwhelming at first,” he said. In the Big Apple, members of New York’s Finest Jazz Ensemble meet for rehearsals and gigs while off duty from their police precincts. Formed in 2005 by Officer Tony Stewart, a trumpeter who doubles on sousaphone, the 18- member big band has performed around the world. They have played concerts at Jazz at Lincoln Center, the San Jose Jazz Festival and on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno”—all in full police uniform. Under the direction of Lieutenant Tony Giorgio, New York’s Finest Jazz Ensemble pulls from a large repertoire, ranging from classic to contemporary jazz as well as some original compositions. Each of their shows contributes to a charitable cause of one form or another. “In addition to performing at veterans’ and children’s hospitals, in their spare time band members give workshops and concerts at New York public schools teaching young people about jazz,” Stewart said. “The ensemble has been successful in reinforcing to our youth that music can enhance their lives, and that something which is done for free can be of great value.” The players in these bands of professionals find their reward in the sense of community they create with fellow policemen or lawyers and the impact their efforts have on the real world. “We get hundreds of letters from students, teachers, principals and parents thanking us for making a difference,” Stewart said of New York’s Finest Jazz Ensemble. “Each letter is special to us.” —Ed Enright
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