Monday, December 14, 2009

Jerald Shynett, faculty member in the Department of Music of the University of North Carolina Wilmington, is a long-time member of the jazz band Chuck Owen and the Jazz Surge, which was recently nominated for a Grammy Award.

The band's recording of "Slings and Arrows" was nominated in the Best Instrumental Arrangement category. Arranged by Vince Mendoza, "Slings and Arrows" appears on the big band's CD The Comet's Tail: Performing the Compositions of Michael Brecker. The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards will be televised Sunday, Jan. 31, 2010 on CBS.

Chuck Owen and the Jazz Surge is a Florida-based band whose members include faculty and alumni of the University of South Florida and professional musicians residing in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area. Shynett received his bachelor's degree in music performance from USF and his master's degree in music from the University of Miami.

"The Surge has always had a mix of great music written by great composers and played by great musicians," said Shynett. "This is our fourth album, and we're proud to be part of these projects, Grammy nomination or not. I'm really happy for Chuck Owen in particular. He's the creative force who got the funding for this project and made it all happen."

The album grew out of the International Jazz Composers Symposium Competition at USF, for which composers were invited to submit arrangements of Michael Brecker tunes. Hundreds of arrangements were submitted from around the world. Beginning in fall 2006, the winning arrangements were recorded in Tampa by the Jazz Surge. Recording was completed in spring 2007, and the CD was released on the Mama label in fall 2009.

Described as inventive, colorful, provocative, playful and swinging, the Surge's previous three CDs have caught the imagination of fans and critics alike. JazzTimes journalist David Franklin included the band's first release on his list of the "Five Best CDs of 1996," and critics from other noted jazz publications have consistently given the Jazz Surge glowing reviews. With guest appearances from such jazz luminaries as the late Nat Adderly, Benny Golson, John Abercrombie and Ingrid Jensen, their CDs have consistently charted on national jazz radio and appeared on playlists throughout the world.

Jerald Shynett has been on the faculty at UNC Wilmington for more than 10 years; he teaches trombone, improvisation, jazz theory, jazz arranging, jazz history and jazz combo. He is an active performer and clinician throughout North Carolina and is currently performing with the North Carolina Jazz Repertory Orchestra in addition to the Jazz Surge. Before coming to UNCW in 1998, Shynett maintained an active career as a freelance trombonist, composer and arranger in Florida. He has performed with Chick Corea, Slide Hampton, Randy Brecker, K.C. and the Sunshine Band, The O'Jays, Ray Charles and many others. His compositions and arrangements have been performed most recently by the jazz ensembles of the University of North Texas, UNC Wilmington, the University of South Florida, the University of Miami and Northwestern University.

Media contact:
Dana Fischetti, media relations manager, 910.962.7259 or fischettid@uncw.edu