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Curt Hanrahan Warren Hanrahan
Artistic Directors/Board of Directors
OUR BEGINNING GOALS:
- Set up administrative functions and a marketing program.
- Organize a Milwaukee concert series with featured artists
- Create education projects including clinics, workshops, and seminars
The Milwaukee Jazz Orchestra led by saxophonist and educator Curt Hanrahan assisted by drummer/brother Warren Hanrahan. It is an A-list roster of Milwaukee musicians who not only swing their behinds off, they have something original to say by way of performances with a perfect balance of classic and contemporary standards and originals that are swinging, soulful, traditional and cutting-edge.
Curt Hanrahan is the head of jazz studies at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. He co-founded the Lakeshore Conservatory of Music in Racine Wisconsin, performs with the Milwaukee Symphony. He has worked with artists Tony Bennett, Rosemary Clooney, Cab Calloway, the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, Harry Connick Jr., Arturo Sandoval Big Band, Manhattan Transfer, Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, Doc Severinsen, Frank Sinatra Jr. and Ray Charles.
Drummer Warren Hanrahan graduated from legendary North Texas State Univ. and performed with the renowned 1O’clock Lab Band under Neil Slater. He then moved on to tenures with The Glenn Miller Orchestra and the S.S Norway Big Band. He has performed with Tony Bennett, Paul Anka, Billy Joel, Clark Terry, Keely Smith, John Davidson, Vanessa Williams: and in the Broadway shows Chicago, Godspell, West Side Story and Ain't Misbehavin’: R&B legends: The Drifters, The Duprees, The Shirelles, and TV legends: Milton Berle, Danny Thomas, Sid Caesar, and Skitch Henderson.
The MJO was born out of Curt Hanrahan's involvement with the annual Woody Herman Jazz Festival about 5 years ago assembling alumni to guest at the festival every year and began putting a local big band together to perform with the soloists. After doing this for a few years he began to have composers and arrangers write new music for this band and actively seek performance opportunities outside of the Herman festival. Around this time, Curt's son Tim, a bassist, graduated from school with a Jazz studies degree and along with Curt's brother Warren on drums ]wanted to put a family band together. This became the catalyst to record new and old music using some of the finest jazz musicians in the Milwaukee area and together these musicians along with the Hanrahan family became the core of the Milwaukee Jazz Orchestra.
