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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