About the JazzChords

The JazzChords of Calloway, the premier jazz choir of the Cab Calloway School of the Arts, was established in 1997 when Bob McGrath (Bob from Sesame Street) appeared at the Grand Opera House and needed a jazz choir to back him onstage.

Since then, the JazzChords have performed throughout Delaware, at the Hard Rock Cafe in NYC, the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, Rays Starlight Cafe in Disney World (Orlando), the Convention Center in Philadelphia and onboard the Norwegian Dawn cruise ship. We have sung for the Governors of many states, US Senators and Congressmen, the dedication of the NCC Courthouse, State Treasurer Jack Markell's Swearing in Ceremony, the Rehoboth Jazz Festival and we were frequently invited to sing at the Clifford Brown Jazz Festival which is the largest outdoor jazz festival on the East Coast. The choir has won ‘Gold’ at the Roxbury NJ Choir Invitational. In February, 2010, the JazzChords competed at the 2nd Annual Disney Jazz Celebration in Disney and in addition to being rated ‘Excellent,’ their student accompanist and one of the singers were recognized as the best at the festival. In fact, all the judges were impressed at how many singers in the choir improvised solos so well.

The choir sings swing, fusion, Latin-American and ballad styles of pieces written by some of America's greatest composers. Sample repertoire from previous years includes Autumn Leaves, The Beatles’ In My Life, Paul Simon’s Feelin’ Groovy, Antonio Carlos Jobim’s How Insensitive, and Duke Ellington’s Satin Doll. Newer songs include The Beatles Eleanor Rigby, More Than Words, and Frank Sinatra’s Come Fly with Me as well as Eddie Harris’ Cold Duck and Don’t Stop Believin’ as performed on ‘Glee.’ We also can perform a program of seasonal pieces in December. The choir features great singing, soloing and improvisation that everyone will enjoy.

The choir consists of the best Sopranos, Altos, Tenors and Basses in Cab high school. Among those students, the best-of-the-best -- about 16 students -- are chosen to perform at our many out-of-school engagements. We carry our own PA system, keyboard and sound technician for most events, so hearing the performers clearly is never a problem. We even have a horn and rhythm section for large events and for smaller venues, we can bring 4 - 6 singers.

Here is a clip that is a combination of several performances. JazzChords of Calloway Sampler

And here is a clip that is an example of our Christmas/Holiday music. Holly Jolly Christmas