The Contemporary Jazz Ensemble studies and performs contemporary repertoire spanning diverse musical aesthetics and concepts with an emphasis on compositions by living artists. The ensemble regularly engages directly with modern innovators – most recently with San Francisco-based pianist/composer/social activist Jon Jang, developing a new arrangement of his extended work, “Reparations Now!,” celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. Over the past year, the ensemble has also focused on compositions by Toshiko Akiyoshi, Peter Apfelbaum, Anthony Braxton, John Hollenbeck, Jon Jang, Maria Schneider, and Miguel Zenon, alongside student compositions.
