Master multi-instrumentalist Jeff Sanford and the Cartoon Jazz Orchestra, an ensemble of supremely talented, virtuosic musicians, bring to life the genius compositions of Raymond Scott—the brilliant composer whose hyperactive, wildly inventive pieces became the soundtrack to over 120 Looney Tunes cartoons — and other cartoon favorites.
Featuring 18 wild, crazy and virtuosic musicians, the Cartoon Jazz Orchestra (CJO) has become a fixture on the local scene since its debut at the 2003 Stanford Jazz Festival. The ensemble was formed by Sanford in 2000 to revive the eclectic and challenging cartoon music of Raymond Scott (Bugs Bunny, Woody Woodpecker and friends) along with classics by the likes of Duke Ellington and Jelly Roll Morton, and to perform themes from movies and TV like “The Incredibles” and Pee Wee Herman’s “Breakfast Machine.”
The spirit of Raymond Scott has been brought into the 21st Century by the equally eclectic and challenging original compositions of Lenny Carlson.
“Their music is rich and complex, zany and funny, supremely well played – and it swings like crazy.” — Little Village Foundation
“The tunes all swing, have a vintage vibe & are extremely well-recorded... Everything is here, from Benny Goodman to waltzes, old Top 40 dance tunes, 60s rock group melodies & classic easy-listening vocalist arrangements... The music is contemporary Americana in the basest form...wildly inventive, clever & humorous.” — John Apice, Americana Highway
Check out Jeff Sanford’s Cartoon Jazz Orchestra: Playland at the Beach available of Spotify, iTunes and Amazon.
ABOUT THE CJO PROJECT
Since the early 20th century, cartoons have been a joyful, essential part of the American experience. From the beloved Saturday morning antics of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck in the 40s and 50s to today’s inspired anime, they express wild swings of energy and emotion, explosive triumphs, and deserved defeats.
One element of the cartoons that we’ve recently recognized is the genius of the music that underscores them, a mash-up of classical, jazz, pop, folk, and everything in between. This is highly adventurous music, rich and complex, swinging, and supremely well played by Jeff Sanford’s Cartoon Jazz Orchestra.
New York native and CJO founder and leader Jeff Sanford plays all the saxophones and flutes as well. Since his arrival in San Francisco in 1976, he has played everything from top 40 to waltzes for dancing to the SF and Napa Valley Symphony orchestras, gigs with Clark Terry and Regina Carter, and international performances with Castles and Concerts. Jeff also teaches big band classes at the JCC in Palo Alto and the Holy Trinity Church in San Carlos.
When a fellow musician willed Jeff 16 file cabinets of sheet music, including considerable material composed by the brilliant and eccentric Raymond Scott (1908-1994), the spark for the CJO was born. Raymond Scott, born Harry Warnow in Brooklyn to Polish immigrant parents, was a remote and demanding leader and among the most important and popular composers of the 20th Century. Warner Brothers musical director Carl Stalling adopted Scott’s strange, hyperactive compositions as scores for more than 120 Looney Tunes cartoons.
The music is highly entertaining but very challenging to perform. Obviously undaunted, the CJO premiered at the 2003 Stanford Jazz Festival.
As the CJO in-house composer of original music since 2009, Lenny Carlson brings the wild and wooly spirit of Raymond Scott into the 21st Century. He has composed over 100 pieces for Jeff Sanford’s ensembles. Lenny, whose mother was a classical violinist and whose father was a composer and student of Arnold Schoenburg, gives new meaning to the word “eclectic.”