The

Dave McMurdo

JAZZ  ORCHESTRA

Discography

The Toronto based The Dave McMurdo Jazz Orchestra is a writer's band which highlights ensemble sounds and new 21st Century Music in dynamic compositions and arrangements by Dave McMurdo, Don Thompson,  Mike Malone, Reg Schwager and  Phil Nimmons.  The Orchestra is filled with great soloists: Quinsin Nachoff, Alex Dean  and Perry White on saxophone, Dave McMurdo  on trombone, Mike Malone, Chase Sanborn and Kevin Turcotte on trumpet, Reg Schwager on guitar, and Don Thompson on piano.

The orchestra has played jazz festivals and concerts throughout Ontario, and a number of local jazz clubs. It's first CD on The Jazz Alliance label, self-titled The Dave McMurdo Jazz Orchestra was nominated for a Juno Award,  in 1991.

In June of 1991, the orchestra played five cities on a 15 day  tour of the (former) U.S.S.R.  Alexey Batashev, a leading Moscow jazz critic reported: "your jazz orchestra is the swinging constellation of the north which epitomizes in the music the country and the spirit of Canadians."

The CD The Dave McMurdo Jazz Orchestra Live at The Montreal Bistro  was released in January of 1993 on Sackville Recordings to critical acclaim and much air play both in Canada and The United States.  In November 1994  the orchestra's second studio recording on Sackville Recordings  entitled The Dave McMurdo Jazz Orchestra 'Different  Paths'  was released.

In January of 1994 The Orchestra  made a trip to Boston    to  perform the closing  concert for the convention of the International Association of Jazz Educators. In May 1994 the orchestra was named Canada's "Jazz Big Band of the Year" by  The Jazz Report.

From 1995 through 2004 the orchestra has continued to play club venues in Toronto as well as concerts, including regular appearances  at The Downtown Toronto Jazz Festival. The orchestra's fourth CD release, for Sackville Recordings, a 2 CD set The Dave McMurdo Jazz Orchestra  'Fire and Song' was released in May 1997. In January 2001 the orchestra recorded it's fifth CD ‘Just for Now’ during a week long engagement at the Montréal Bistro. It was released in February 2002.  They also made a highly acclaimed appearance on TVO's Studio 2 during the ‘Just for Now’ week.

In October 2004 the orchestra recorded it’s sixth CD, again live at The Montréal Bistro with special guest composer/clarinetist Phil Nimmons. They recorded a retrospective of Phil’s original compositions from 1962 to the present.  Look for a joint release in the Spring of 2005 of this music from Sackville and The Canadian Music Center who will include it in their prestigious Canadian composer’s series.

JASON LOGUE

BRIAN O'KANE

MIKE MALONE

KEVIN TURCOTTE

NEIL CHRISTOFFERSEN

DON ENGLERT

JOHN JOHNSON

ALEX DEAN

BRIAN DICKINSON

QUINSIN NACHOFF

PERRY WHITE

ROB SOMERVILLE

TERRY PROMANE

TED BOHN

BOB HAMPER

PAUL NOVOTNY

KEVIN DEMPSEY

REG SCHWAGER

The Players