"Frank Zappa meets Charles Mingus!" Thank you for your interest in the Jeff Riley Jazz Suite! Enjoy listening to the song previews and reading about the project! Also, visit www.jeffrileyjazzsuite.org for regularly updated news. History of the JRJS... The *12-tone row “T for Tyka,” named after Steven Kortyka, was created, performed and analyzed for Orchestration class at the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music. The presentation included colorful paintings, detailed diagrams and a dramatic story with a funny dialogue. The project quickly grew into a soulful musical collage arranged for a little big band portraying unique compositions of abstract melodies, thick harmonies and meaningful lyrics through the styles of swing, funk and reggae. The Jazz Suite debuted in CCM’s Watson Hall on January 17, 2002, as a birthday present to Jeff’s father and has continued to expand, integrating dozens of talented musicians relaying the message of love, laughter, self-expression and peace. The second full performance of the suite took place July 7, 2007, across bowling lanes on Lincoln Avenue in Chicago, IL, with members of the Low Down Brass Band. Friends and family were celebrating a family reunion and the birth of Jeff's daughter, Stella. This is when “Reggae Soul,” written 15 years earlier, made its debut in the Jazz Suite. The third performance of the suite was the making of this CD in Boulder, CO, marking a great meeting of old friends and new ones and featuring outstanding musicians from around the country. Helping to keep a life-long project fresh and new, Shane Jonas wrote the lyrics to “Breezin’ ‘Way” only days before recording, Steve Kortyka helped write the melody “Homeostasis” earlier that summer and “Reggae Soul” was arranged just before the start of the production. The Jeff Riley Jazz Suite is a project that started a decade ago and will expand for decades into the future. It incorporates the past and always the present. It is interesting to see where all the musicians have gone... we began this adventure in Cincinnati, OH, but its grown from coast to coast. The Jazz Suite has become sort of a family reunion when we all get together and each performance makes our family bigger. JRJS isn't a touring band, although it could be; it is a journey and a concept that as we all grow, our music grows and our messages change. The old songs don't change, but the way they are played does. The new songs add new light and new life. The future songs will continue to be written or influenced by members of our family, a family that has something to say and a point to make or just a blazing solo to share;) The Suite will be something others can keep enjoying for a long time and now, finally, a snapshot of the musical collage is available on CD. About the composer... Saxophonist Jeff Riley is currently finishing a book about his recent turmoil as well as more insight about the CD. *A 12-tone row is a melody that has all 12 chromatic notes played before anyone of them can be repeated. Copyright Jeff Riley Jazz Suite MMXI. All rights reserved.