Jazz Articles about The DIVA Jazz Orchestra

Diva: A Swingin' Life

by Richard J Salvucci
November 9, 2014

Back in 1967, Buddy Rich was one of the headliners on a summer replacement television broadcast for “The Jackie Gleason Show." If I remember correctly, the show's theme, which Rich and the band did was “Away We Go." It was subsequently released on a Pacific Jazz record The New One. Why is it that the opening track on Diva's most recent recording A Swingin' Life reminds me of that recording? It's not because Sherrie Maricle is in the Buddy Rich ...

Diva: A Swingin' Life

by Edward Blanco
September 20, 2014

What do you get when you have fifteen talented and swinging female jazz musicians in an orchestral setting? The answer, drummer Sherrie Maricle and the DIVA Jazz Orchestra offering A Swingin' Life as proof that hard-charging big band music is not the exclusivity of the male gender. Building upon the work of more than a dozen previous albums, DIVA presents music from the Great American Songbook and more, capturing eleven audacious tracks recorded live by Jazz at Lincoln Center at ...

The Diva Jazz Orchestra and Johnny Mandel at Dizzy's Club, NYC

by Dan Bilawsky
June 6, 2010

Diva Jazz Orchestra Dizzy's Club Coca Cola New York, New York May 26, 2010

While The Diva Jazz Orchestra often gets press that relates to their status as an all-female big band, gender is irrelevant when discussing their musical acumen. Drummer Sherrie Maricle and company have proven themselves time and time again-- with ample demonstrations of taste, talent and chops to spare--on recordings and in live settings. This particular set was part of a ...

Diva Jazz Trio: Never Never Land

by Elliott Simon
December 5, 2009

Since its beginnings in 1992, drummer Sherry Maricle's Diva Jazz Orchestra has evolved into one of the best big bands in the world. An all-female multicultural orchestra, it produces some of the most joyful big band music around and nurtures powerful and creative mainstream instrumentalists. A spinoff quintet, Five Play, showcases these instrumentalists in a more intimate setting but it is Diva's rhythm section that allows for continued creativity in a genre that can be sorely lacking in such. It ...