We are an 18-piece jazz “big band” group that is based in Los Angeles. The group is made up of musicians with whom Gary Urwin, the leader, has been associated over many years as an arranger or trumpet player. Gary Urwin’s role is to arrange and compose all of the music that we play, as well as to lead the band on recordings or performances. We began to work on our first CD, “Perspectives”, with the support of Pat Longo (Business Manager) and co-producer. It was released on Sea Breeze Records on December 1, 2000. Word of mouth spread quickly, and the band’s activities grew into enthusiastically-received live appearances, a follow-up Sea Breeze CD (“Living in the Moment”) in 2003 reflecting the band’s development and growth, a third CD in 2006(“Kindred Spirits”) featuring a “front line” of acclaimed soloists Bill Watrous and Pete Christlieb, and our latest CD on Summit Records (“A Beautiful Friendship”) adding trumpeter Carl Saunders to that exclusive front line of soloists, in addition to Watrous and Christlieb. The band uses familiar tools in a new way to expand the idiom while still swinging and staying true to the jazz roots. The band is known as “A veritable Who’s Who” among Los Angeles’ most talented studio and big-band musicians. It is blessed with the talents of many well-known Los Angeles jazz musicians, including Bobby Shew and Wayne Bergeron, Bobby Shew, Carl Saunders and Rick Baptist, Kim Richmond, Dan Higgins as well as Alex Iles, Pete De Siena. Christian Jacob, Trey Henry and Ralph Razze are some others. Gary has also written for Mike Vax, Arturo Sandoval, and Bill Watrous. from http://garyurwinjazz.com/
