Ensembles
Chops Big Band
The Chops Big Band, directed by Ken Crowell is one of the Bay Area's most sought-after 18 piece Big Bands. They have played on both sides of the Bay at some of the area's most prestigious venues and have hundreds of local fans and followers who have been enjoying their music for over ten years.
Chops has been featured at the San Jose Jazz festival, KCSM's Jazz on the Hill, the Reno Jazz Festival and the San Francisco Jazz Festival's Stanford Summer Jazz Series, always playing to rave reviews. Their music has been broadcast and enjoyed by listeners of the Bay Area's local Jazz stations KCSM and KOHL. They have performed their music for many large functions in the Bay Area for groups such as Oracle, Johnson & Johnson's Lifescan, the Heart Association, SAVE, and The American Red Cross.
Chops features a vocalist and performs songs by jazz greats such as Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald as well as current favorites like Harry Connick Jr. and Natalie Cole. The band also plays 60's and 70's rock hits, dance tunes from the 30's and 40's, and many songs of the current Swing and Jump craze.
Chops' fans agree that their favorite band really swings and its artistry and energy are uncontainable!