The Dave McMurdo Jazz Orchestra

The Dave McMurdo Jazz Orchestra originated in 1988 to showcase McMurdo’s big band arrangements during his period of study with composer and arranger Bob Brookmeyer in New York City. Over time the ensemble expanded its book to encompass charts by fellow band members as well as significant outside contributions from additional arrangers. Its repertoire spans a wide spectrum, moving from the buoyant, hard-swinging idiom linked to Count Basie to the dense, shadowed textures characteristic of Gil Evans. Shortly after its formation the DMJO cut its debut album for Jazz Alliance, earning a Juno Award nomination in 1991. The release was followed by a 15-day, five-city tour across the former U.S.S.R. In 1994 the orchestra made its first American appearance in Boston as the closing act of the International Association of Jazz Educators conference; that same year Jazz Report magazine designated it Canada’s Big Band of the Year.