"Jazz Legends of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow"
South Florida Jazz Orchestra
The SOUTH FLORIDA JAZZ ORCHESTRA is a modern Big Band comprised of some of the best Jazz musicians, studio musicians, and Jazz educators in the southeastern part of the United States.
The members of The SFJO are some of the most experienced professionals in the country, having performed and toured with many of the greatest artists in Jazz and Popular music. These musicians' careers include tenure with the Big Bands of Woody Herman, Buddy Rich, and Maynard Ferguson, and artists from Stan Getz, Dave Grusin, and James Moody to Frank Sinatra, Paul Anka, and Joe Williams.
Big Band veteran Chuck Bergeron put this group together as a "Labor of Love" to provide the South Florida community with an opportunity to hear classic and modern works for large Jazz ensemble, and to present concerts featuring a wide variety of musical guests. In the band's three years of existence, they have produced concerts featuring many great artists, including Arturo Sandoval, Kevin Mahogany, Eddie Daniels, Tom Scott, Wayne Bergeron, and Mark O'Connor.
The SFJO's debut CD has received high praise from Jazz critics and radio stations throughout the country.
"The band swings with pulsating energy propelled by exemplary charts and arrangements that showcase brassy instrumentals, divine solos and elegant vocals - more than sixty-five minutes of scintillating big band jazz by a world-class orchestra you've not heard until now. Listen and enjoy!"
Edward Blanco, All About Jazz/ WDNA, Miami, FL
"Directed by bassist Chuck Bergeron, SFJO is already keeping some swanky company on its debut CD, including cameos by Arturo Sandoval, Ed Calle, Charles Pillow and Kevin Mahogany. Not at all surprising when you consider that the band was incubated at Arturo's Jazz Club in Miami Beach. Sandoval's dazzling virtuosity brightens "Blues Gumbo," the opening track, but it's clear that the regulars bring plenty to the table with composer/reedman Gary Lindsay's propulsive arrangement and tasty solos by Mike Brignola on bari and pianist Brian Murphy. Bergeron's composing and arranging skills are no less imposing on the ensuing "Role Models," ushered in by Brignola's bass clarinet and John Yarling's cymbals, and slowly brought to a ferocious boil by Pillow on soprano, prodded by Yarling. Mahogany absolutely revels in Bergeron's swinging arrangement of "Nature Boy," on which Gary Keller takes a fine tenor solo between the vocal bookends, without upstaging the full ensemble following in his wake."
JAZZTIMES Magazine
The band's eclectic repertoire includes many original compositions by band members, as well as classic charts from such greats as Thad Jones, Charles Mingus, John Clayton, Maria Schneider, Jim McNeely, John Fedchock, and many more.
LISANNE LYONS is a former Associate Professor of music at Virginia Tech, founder of the vocal jazz program, and director of the Down Beat award winning jazz vocal group, The New Virginians.
During her tenure at VT, Lisanne received the Gamma Mu Chapter of Delta Omicron Music Professor of the Year Award. She received her Bachelors and Master of Music from the University of Miami (FL) and during that time she received the Down Beat magazine Dee Bee student award for best jazz vocalist for two consecutive years and in 2005 she received the Dee Bee award for Best Jazz Arrangement.
She is currently working on her Doctorate in Jazz Performance and teaches voice at the University of Miami.
Lisanne has frequently performed at the famous Blues Ally in Georgetown, Virginia and the Kennedy Center. She received rave reviews from the Washington Post about her latest release entitled Smile with the John Toomey Trio.
She performed as one of the headline acts for the Ottawa Jazz Festival, Detroit Jazz Festival, Clearwater Jazz Festival, and La Nuit du Jazz, France, as the lead soprano with the D.C. based Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet.
They shared the stage with Jazz legends such as Nancy Wilson, Tony Bennet, Mingus Big Band, Terrance Blanchard, Superband, Dr. John, Sonny Stitt, etc.
Lisanne's career began immediately following high school as the featured vocalist for the Air Force bands. During her six years in the service she performed and travelled worldwide with the "Norad Command Band", Travis AF "Band of the Golden Gate", and the U.S. Air Force Academy "Falconaires".
She has since been featured with the Woody Herman Orchestra, Maynard Ferguson Big Bop Nouveau, Arturo Sandoval, Larry Elgart, the University of Miami Concert Jazz Band, Roanoke Symphony, Palm Beach Pops, Las Olas Studio Orchestra, South Florida Jazz Orchestra, Sunrise Pops Orchestra, Hallandale Pops Orchestra, Ars Flores Orchestra, Gene Krupa Orchestra, Harry James Orchestra, and various bands across the country.
She has also performed with many of the world's top jazz artists such as Maria Schneider, Bobby McFerrin, Mark Murphy, Four Freshmen, Mose Allison, Jon Hendricks, Royce Campbell, Darmon Meader, Don Braden, Paul Bollenbach, Gary Campbell,Ted Rosenthal, Ira Sullivan, Duffy Jackson, Jim Pugh, Harold Jones, Dave Berkman, Eiane Elias, Michael Berkowitz, Claudia Acuna, Bucky Pizzerelli, Kevin Mahogany, and many others.
Following college Cy Coleman selected her to join national touring company of his Broadway hit "City of Angels". With numerous performing, recording, and back up singing credits, she was also a featured performer with Joel Grey on the NBC Orange Bowl half-time show, "You'll Get a Kick Out of Cole.
Currently she is singing with the newly reformed jazz vocal quartet, "Mad Romance". The group includes the founding leader/arranger Rick Harris, Wendy Pederson, and Greg Diaz. This exciting and multi talented group can be seen in concert venues all around Florida and is currently working on a new CD.
Lisanne is extremely honored to have been the first to perform, live, the Nelson Riddle arrangements he wrote for Ella Fitzgerald's George Gershwin Songbook collection (Ella only recorded them). She made that debut with the University of Illinois Concert Jazz Band and Studio Orchestra during their summer jazz festival.
Look for her to be performing this amazing music and the American Songbook with select pop orchestras across the country.
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