A CJO Salute to "Sinatra at the Sands" featuring Paul Marinaro is the Chicago Jazz Orchestra’s highly anticipated 2017-18 season finale at Chicago’s historic Studebaker Theater, Saturday, May 12, 2018 at 7:30 p.m. Sit back and and enjoy this live recreation of the famous 1966 "Sinatra at the Sands"performance, long considered to be the definitive live album of Sinatra’s career, performed in order by acclaimed Chicago jazz vocalist Paul Marinaro and the Chicago Jazz Orchestra, under the direction of artistic director Jeff Lindberg.

The Studebaker Theater is located at 410 S. Michigan Avenue on the first floor of Chicago’s Fine Arts Building. Single tickets are $35 (balcony) and $45 (floor).

For tickets and information, visit chicagojazzorchestra.org.

"Sinatra at the Sands" is the unforgettable live album by Frank Sinatra accompanied by Count Basie and his orchestra. It was conducted and arranged by Quincy Jones, and recorded live in the Copa Room of the former Sands Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas in 1966. It was Sinatra's first live album to be commercially released, and contains many definitive renditions of the classic songs most commonly associated with Sinatra’s “Rat Pack” era. Signature tracks include “Come Fly with Me,” “I’ve Got a Crush on You,” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “One for My Baby,” “Luck be a Lady” and “My Kind of Town.” The album is certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Don’t miss this chance to travel back in time, one-night-only, to revisit a true classic. Channeling Sinatra on the Studebaker stage is CJO guest vocalist Paul Marinaro, hailed by the Chicago Tribune as having “one of the most beautiful vocal instruments in the business today.”

Backing Marinaro for this one night only, live recreation of "Sinatra at the Sands" is the CJO ensemble boasting the top jazz musicians in all of Chicago: Scott Burns, Jerry DiMuzio, Bill Overton, Eric Schneider and John Wojciechowski on saxophone; Art Davis, Victor Garcia and Doug Scharf on trumpet; Steve Duncan, Tom Garling, Luke Malewicz and Michael Young on trombone; Dan Trudell on piano; Dennis Carroll on bass; George Fludas on drums; and Michael Pettersen on guitar.

About the Chicago Jazz Orchestra

Founded in 1978, the Chicago Jazz Orchestra is the city’s oldest professional jazz orchestra in continuous operation and one of the oldest jazz repertory orchestras in the country. As recently as 2015, Chicago Tribune jazz critic Howard Reich cited the CJO as “one of the best big bands in the country.” Paul Marinaro has become one of the most in-demand and respected male vocalists, taking "his place among the top five male jazz singers active today" (Scott Yanow, LA Jazz Scene). Earlier this month the Tribune’s Howard Reich also singled out a 2013 Jazz Showcase performance by Marinaro as one of the 40 most unforgettable shows he has covered in 40 years. He frequently plays sold-out engagements in Chicago's world-famous venues, including the Joe and Wayne Segal's Jazz Showcase, The Green Mill, Andy's Jazz Club, and at his highly acclaimed debut appearance at The Chicago Jazz Festival in Millennium Park. His have been named as the "Best Performances of the Year" in the Chicago Tribune in both 2013 and 2014, and his performances sold out on both his west and east coast debuts. In 2013, Marinaro celebrated his widely acclaimed debut album Without a Song, a carefully crafted concept album stemming from and inspired by his father's unfulfilled dream to have been a professional singer. Without a Song has gone on to receive widespread acclaim and national airplay, and was named among the "Best of 2013" in theChicago Tribune. His first live album, One Night in Chicago, was released in 2015.

The Chicago Jazz Orchestra (chicagojazzorchestra.org) strives to develop and promote an appreciation for and understanding of music for the American jazz orchestra as it was originally conceived, performed and recorded by jazz master composers and soloists.

When Jeff Lindberg and the late Steve Jensen first came up with their big band concept in 1978 (founded as the Jazz Members Big Band), they could not have predicted the remarkable metamorphosis that has turned a group of first-call musicians into what is now known as the Chicago Jazz Orchestra, a 17-piece premiere jazz ensemble that has garnered both national and international recognition. Conductor and Artistic Director Jeff Lindberg is one of the foremost transcribers in jazz. As a result, the orchestra’s repertoire draws upon his vast library including the works of Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Benny Carter, Oliver Nelson, Ray Charles. Because the CJO has its own transcriptions of the original recordings, much of the music in its concerts cannot be heard anywhere else. The CJO also performs compositions and arrangements by CJO members, including Associate Artistic Director Charles Harrison.

The CJO served as the resident orchestra for the Kennedy Center Honors Supper Dance for more than 25 years. In 2006, the Orchestra performed before a sold-out audience at the Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, South Carolina. The CJO has toured Europe twice, including performances in Italy, Spain, Denmark and Sweden. The Orchestra has performed with such artists as Dizzy Gillespie, Nancy Wilson, Louis Bellson, Herbie Hancock, Jon Faddis, Kurt Elling, Jack McDuff, Kenny Burrell, Roy Hargrove, Marquis Hill, Walter White, Joshua Redman and many more. The orchestra performs at a wide variety of top venues across the Chicago area, from The Green Mill, to City Winery, to the Spertus Institute. Merit School of Music is the orchestra’s educational partner, including day-long clinics that culminate with students performing alongside members of the CJO, master classes led by renowned guest artists and open rehearsals. The CJO also provides complimentary concert tickets to underserved public school students and their families. The CJO’s recordings include Clark Terry and Jeff Lindberg’s Chicago Jazz Orchestra: George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess (Americana Music, 2004), nominated “Jazz Album of The Year” by the Jazz Journalist’s Association, and a rare “Five Star” rating by DownBeat magazine, which also named it one of the top recordings of the previous decade. It also made the annual “top CD’s” lists of Jazz at Lincoln Center, Jazz Times and Jazz Education Journal. To celebrate its 35th anniversary in 2013, the CJO released Burstin’ Out with vocalist Cyrille Aimée performing classic and original jazz arrangements. The CJO’s newest release is the 2017 compilation Live from Space, with live recordings from the summer of 2016.

CJO’s 2017-18 season finale, also at the Studebaker, is A CJO Salute to “Sinatra at the Sands” featuring Paul Marinaro, Saturday, May 12, 2018 at 7:30 p.m. Sit back and enjoy this live recreation of the famous 1966 “Sinatra at the Sands” performance, long considered to be the definitive live album of his career. The Chicago Tribune hailed CJO guest vocalist Paul Marinaro as having “one of the most beautiful vocal instruments in the business today.” Don’t miss this chance to travel back in time, one-night-only, to revisit a true classic.

The Chicago Jazz Orchestra’s 2017-18 season is supported by The Stare Fund, The MacArthur Funds for Arts & Culture at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the Joseph B. Glossberg Foundation, Illinois Arts Council Agency, and The Saints of Chicago, with media sponsorship from WDCB 90.9 FM, DownBeat Magazine and Chicago Jazz Magazine.