The Studio Jazz Ensemble (Paul Harshman, director) performs big band arrangements and repertory selections. The Modern Band (Cuong Vu, director) performs innovative arrangements of jazz standards, selections from the outer limits of the genre, and new original compositions.
Modern Band
Cuong Vu, advisor
Tangents......................................................................................................... Alexander Chadsey
Flat Four .................................................................................................................... Tony Lefaive
Koi Pond................................................................................................................. Ronan Delisle
Inner Convulsions .................................................................................................. Ronan Delisle
Dream Logic .......................................................................................................... Elias Hampton
Ronan Delisle, guitar; Elias Hampton, guitar; Alexander Chadsey, piano; Tony Lefaive, bass; Wyatt Gardner, drums
Studio Jazz Ensemble
Paul Harshman, director
Kissing Bug.......................................Bill Holman
A Foggy Day.......................................George Gershwin/arr. Peter Herbolzheimer
The Peacocks.......................................Jimmy Rowles/arr. Bill Holman
Lullabye of the Leaves.......................................Petkere and Young/arr. Francy Boland
Paranoid Android.......................................Radiohead/arr. Ken Schaphorst
Atchafalaya.......................................Michael League/arr. Brian Lawrence
Saxophones
Luciano de le Inglesia-alto; Ryan Featherman-alto; Martin Nguyen-tenor; Johnathan Leon Guerrero-tenor;
Kyle Bainbridge-baritone
Trombones
Laney Pham; Simon Shimmel; Sean Dickson; Nick Ruof
Trumpets
Collin Burns; Lucas Beidler; Joseph Mertens; Alex Morris
Rhythm
Nebee Yohannes-piano; Nick Nerguizian-bass; Zechariah Latimer-Drums; Ronan Delisle-guitar
Director Bios
Cuong Vu is widely recognized by jazz critics as a leader of a generation of innovative musicians. A truly unique musical voice, Cuong has lent his trumpet playing to a wide range of artists such as Pat Metheny, Laurie Anderson, and David Bowie.
As a youngster, Cuong's intense dedication and love for music led him to a full scholarship at the New England Conservatory of Music where he received his Bachelor of Music in Jazz studies with a distinction in performance. Transitioning from his studies in Boston, he moved to New York in 1994 and began his career actively leading various groups while touring extensively throughout the world. As a leader, Cuong has released eight recordings, each making critics’ lists of the 10 best recordings of their respective years and has received rave reviews from notable publications such as the New York Times, The New Yorker, Harper’s, the Guardian, BBC Music Magazine, JazzTimes and Downbeat. Each record displays how he has carved out a distinctive sonic territory as a trumpet player, blurring all stylistic borders while developing his own compositional aesthetic and sound world.
Awards and honors that Cuong has garnered include grants from the Royalty Research Foundation, the Donald E. Petersen Professorship, ArtistTrust, 4Culture, CityArts and the Colbert Award for Excellence. Cuong is currently associate professor and chair of Jazz Studies at the University of Washington and was awarded the University of Washington's prestigious Distinguished Teacher Award in his third year on faculty. In 2002 and 2006, Cuong was a recipient of the Grammy for Best Contemporary Jazz Album as a member of the Pat Metheny Group. He’s been recognized as one of the top 50 Jazz Artists in an article called “The New Masters” from the British magazine, “Classic CD” and in 2006 was named the Best International Jazz Artist by the Italian Jazz Critics’ Society. Amazon listed Vu’s “Come Play With Me” on their “The 100 Greatest Jazz Albums of All Time.”