Pennsbury Concert Jazz Band

Mr. Frank Mazzeo, Director
Jon Rees, Associate Director

The Pennsbury Concert Jazz Band (PCJB) has been an integral part of the Pennsbury instrumental music program since 1959.  It is internationally recognized as one of the premier high school jazz ensembles.  The PCJB has performed on television for Johnny Carson’s “The Tonight Show” (1963) and the Mike Douglas Show (1966 & 1973).  PCJB has performed in foreign countries such as England (1978), The People’s Republic of China (1988), Switzerland (1990), Canada (1991), France (1993) and Hong Kong (2008).  It has appeared as featured performers at internationally acclaimed jazz festivals such as the Montreaux Jazz Festival in Switzerland (1990), the Montreal Jazz Festival (1991) and the Monterey Jazz Festival (2007).  Local jazz festivals have included the Cape May Jazz Festival (1987 & 2009) and the Mellon Jazz Festival (1989).  The Pennsbury Concert Jazz Band has appeared as featured performers with the Stan Kenton Orchestra, the Maynard Ferguson Orchestra and Dave Brubeck band.  The students of PCJB have enjoyed, since 1959, an array of guest soloists that are the “Who’s Who” in the jazz world.  A partial list would include Phil Woods, Bill Watrous, Dave Stahl, Carl Allen, Maynard Ferguson, Stan Kenton, Terell Stafford, Wayne Bergeron and Dave Brubeck.

The Pennsbury Concert Jazz Band has had compositions specifically written for them by famous Grammy award winning composers.  “Get Up N Go” was composed for PCJB by Grammy award winner Sammy Nestico in 1990.  The piece was later recorded by the Louie Bellson Orchestra.  Frank Mantooth composed “Quaker State Samba” (also called “Weiners and Beans” 1991) for PCJB in 1991 and Carson’s “Tonight Show Band” performed that piece in the winter of 1991.  In 2006, Grammy award winner Bob Mintzer lent his pen to a work for PCJB.