Caleb Chapman's Crescent Super Band is a music group directed by Caleb Chapman. It consists of 25 musicians aged 15-18 and is the flagship ensemble for Caleb Chapman's Soundhouse, an after school professional musician training program based in Utah.
With a standard big band instrumentation of trumpets, trombones, saxophones, guitar, piano, bass, and drums, the group also often features vocalists. Its primary mission is to reinvent the Great American Songbook by performing hip arrangements of popular songs of the past and present.
Video Caleb Chapman's Crescent Super Band
History
Founded in 2001, the group regularly performs locally and worldwide, having played with guest artists from groups such as Dave Matthews Band, Journey, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Tower of Power, The Rolling Stones, and the Saturday Night Live Band. They have also shared the stage with over 200 top-tier jazz artists including GRAMMY-winners Joe Lovano, Nicholas Payton, Gordon Goodwin, Dave Weckl, Brian Lynch, Poncho Sanchez, Dave Samuels, Jeff Coffin, Esperanza Spalding, Randy Brecker, Ernie Watts, Christian McBride, Bob Mintzer, and Peter Erskine.
Members may join the group through a rigorous audition process and are in the group as long as they are in high school. The members rotate each year. Former members of the group have enjoyed admission to top music schools as well as numerous scholarships and awards.
Kickstarter campaign
In the fall of 2013, they launched a Kickstarter campaign to help crowd fund their next album, titled "Don't Look Down." The album was recorded and released in time to be considered for nomination for the 2015 GRAMMY awards. The campaign raised the necessary funds from a national community of supporters.
Maps Caleb Chapman's Crescent Super Band
Founder
The group's founder Caleb Chapman is an educator, musician, producer, and entrepreneur who is recognized for his contributions to music education worldwide and has received numerous honors for his work. He is heavily involved in a variety of music and education activities, including nonprofit work, and served as the President for the Jazz Education Network from 2016 - 2018.
Performances
Caleb Chapman's Crescent Super Band has been featured at top music festivals around the world, including the Montreux Jazz Festival (Switzerland), Fiesta del Tambor (Cuba), Jazz a Vienne (France), MusicFest Canada, the Umbria Jazz Festival (Italy), the North Sea Jazz Festival (The Netherlands), the Berklee Jazz Festival (Boston), the Midwest Clinic (Chicago), the Park City Jazz Festival (Utah), and the Telluride Jazz Festival (Colorado). They had a headlining concert at the 2014 Jazz Education Network conference in Dallas, TX with special guests Randy Brecker and Ed Calle, as well as playing at the Jazz Education Network conference again in New Orleans, January 2017. That performance had a line-up of many grammy-winning and nominated artists including David Paich, Branford Marsalis, Kirk Whalum, Jeff Coffin, and many more. In their local state, the group regularly performs for the NBA's Utah Jazz and is the only live music act to be invited to perform at the basketball team's halftime show. They have also performed at the Utah Governor's mansion and the Utah State Capitol for multiple gubernatorial events.
In May 2013, the group was invited to perform a headlining set at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Their packed concert featured guest spots by GRAMMY-winning saxophonist David Sanborn and GRAMMY®-nominated trumpeter Wayne Bergeron.
Awards
Having received local and national honors, the group has won Utah's Best of State awards for Best Instrumental Group each year from 2013 to 2017 and Best Vocal/Instrumental Band each year from 2010 to 2017.
Since its inception, the band has also been honored with 10 DownBeat Student Awards, a prestigious honor given by DownBeat Magazine, a popular jazz industry publication.
Discography
- What It Is, Big Swing Face Records, 2011
- A Crescent Christmas Vol I, R Legacy Entertainment, 2013
- Don't Look Down, Big Swing Face Records, 2014
- The Inside Of The Outside, Ear Up Records, 2015
Sources:
Current members (2017-2018)
- Saxophones
- Natalie Reese, Caroline James, Bryn Chapman, Sam Sullivan, Joseph Wride
- Trumpets
- Taylor Shamrell, Henry Hale, Tyler Anderson, Noah Sheen, Issac Nelson
- Trombones
Austin Payne, Davyn Larm, Emily Wales, Dylan Wolfe, Peyton Wong
- Guitar
- Samuel Handley
- Shane Cumming
- Piano
- Zane Smith
- Bass
- Noelle Wiley, Jens Watts
- Drums & Percussion
- Porter Chapman, Caleb Walker
- Vocalists
- Izzy Johnson
Sources:
Notable alumni
- Andrew Tolman - Member of Imagine Dragons (previous) and the Moth & the Flame (current)
- Jaydon Bean - Member of Redlight King
- Chase Baird - Saxophonist, Recording Artist
Sources:
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia