Cool Moose Orchestra

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Several members of the band have already scored notable achievements. Last year, Raynor Vandeven was one of only eight winners — and the only bassist — in DownBeat magazine's High School Jazz Soloist category. Along with CMO saxophonist Glenn Tucker, trumpeter Paul Lewis, and pianist Will Cunningham, Vandeven was also a member of AASPA's Six O'Clock Jazz Ensemble — one of only five jazz combos honored nationally by the same magazine. Tucker, who recently released a solo CD on which he fronts his own combo as pianist, is also a highly accomplished arranger and composer. He's written a number of clever tunes, and he created most of the CMO charts.

The band also includes Galaan Dafa and Micah Nagourney on trumpet, Connor Otto and Quinten Ho on trombone, Eric Weidermeier and Vicky Sheerer on alto sax, Yali Rivlin on tenor, Nick Nelson on baritone, and Jordan Otto on drums.

Catch them while you can, because this incarnation of CMO, which plays the Firefly Club on Tuesday, April 17, is not long for this world. The bulk of the band, including Tucker and band manager Connor Otto, will graduate this spring, though not before releasing a CD to preserve this version for posterity. You can bet there will be many more recordings from CMO alumni in the future. And here's hoping that further manifestations of CMO continue to gallop.

[Review published April 2007]