The Valley Jazz Orchestra just released a new album “Vicious Fishes” for the first time in over 50 years. Co-directors of the album Dr. Jeffrey Lovell and Dr. Justin Morell. Their paths first crossed at the University of Oregon where they both earned their doctorate degrees.

They’re now professors at Lebanon Valley College. Students in the “Big Band” was also apart of the project. For senior Aaron Ruddrow says working with Dr. Lovell and Dr. Morell was an enjoyable experience.

“I've had the opportunity, and I'm blessed to have had the opportunity to record a few things of mine, but also a couple of other people's projects in the past. And but nothing quite this scale. And it was really. Yeah, enjoyable experience, especially to be able to collaborate directly with Dr. Morale, being the composer, to kind of just talk to him and be like, okay, what sound do you want from me? Like, what do you want specifically from me as the drummer? And to get like, what are you looking for? And it was kind of it was a neat experience to be able to, to collaborate in that way, just to produce exactly what we were all envisioning for this project, “said Ruddrow.

The last Vally Jazz Orchestra last album was released in the 1970’s, nearly 60 years ago. According to Dr. Lovell, the band was run by a fraternity in the 70’s. He says it was monumental to accomplish the new album. Dr. Morell says he’s proud of his students.

“We knew that this was a group of students and musicians that should be, you know, captured on recording so that it could be remembered and listened to. But we also we did it with an awareness of a tradition and a history of jazz at this college that, you know, like Jeff was saying, I mean, it goes back, you know, well into the 70s and has been, you know, certainly at many times it's been a hub of jazz and jazz education in this region of a quality that is that's very rare. So, we wanted to make sure that if we were going to do a recording project that it at least, you know, could. Could be, you know, in that lineage and stand up to, you know, the tradition that's been around here for all that time. And I'll tell you also, this is I you know, if we have any control over this is not going to be the last such project that we do. Because, you know, Jeff, he doesn't talk about it that much, but he's an incredible jazz composer, not to mention pianist and just overall musician. And so, my goal is to, you know, get him to do a project of all of his music because the band should be playing that, “said Morell.

The album also features grammy aware winning artists.

 “We've got two Grammy Award winning trumpeters that have agreed to record a couple of solos on the album. The two that we're kind of excited about. We're also guest artists for our concerts the last two years. John Diverse, who is the director of the jazz program at Frost School in Miami for our School of Music and a close friend of Justin's. And also a mutual friend of ours, Josh Deutsch, who's a New York based trumpet player, musician, fantastic musician who came to played with the band and with the faculty last spring. He recorded a couple of tracks solos on a couple of tracks for the album. And then Tom Stroman, our own legend in the music department, recorded a solo on one of the tracks. So, we are we wanted to kind of make a big splash and a big deal about this. It it's we see it as also an opportunity for recruitment. To get the word out about the program, having some tangible artifact of what our students have accomplished and what can be accomplished moving forward, “said Lovell.