NU LARGE ENSEMBLE: The Nicholas Urie Large Ensemble is a cast of unique characters based in New York City. The NU Large Ensemble is dedicated to playing the music of our time by addressing the world through a diverse collection of settings based on texts from past and present. Inspiration is harvested from “found” as well as poetic writing, the only criterion is that the text must capture the earnestly ironic joys and sorrows of life. The ensemble performs settings of: Robert Creeley, Charles Bukowski, Internet sex adds, the Tao Te Ching, Shirley Temple, Ambrose Bierce, and of course - Freud. The seventeen members of the ensemble consist of some of the most interesting performers in NYC. The Ensemble’s new record “Excerpts From an Online Dating Service” (Red Piano Records) prominently features: Christine Correa (who has sung with Ran Blake and Steve Lacy), Chris Speed (Jim Black and Kurt Rosenwinkle), Bill McHenry (Paul Motian, John McNeil), Frank Carlberg (Kenny Wheeler, Steve Lacy, Bob Brookmeyer), John Carlson (Julius Hemphill, Sam Rivers, Tito Puente), and Joe Martin (Kurt Rosenwinkle and Mark Turner).

The Carlberg/Urie City Band is dedicated to playing the music of Nicholas Urie and Frank Carlberg.

Originally a native of Helsinki, Finland, Frank Carlberg has carved himself quite a niche in the New York jazz community. As a leader, Frank’s groups include the Frank Carlberg Quintet (performing settings of a wide variety of texts including poems by poets), the Tivoli Trio (a classic jazz piano trio playing an eclectic mix of Carlberg’s compositions drawn from cinematic and circus inspirations) and the Frank Carlberg Big Band (performing original compositions as well as arrangements and re-compositions of standards and folk materials).

His own bands aside, the Brooklyn-based pianist has been involved in many crossover projects throughout the years. Some of his most notable collaborations have included performances and recordings with the likes of saxophonist Steve Lacy, trombonist Bob Brookmeyer and trumpeter Kenny Wheeler. He has been commissioned to write music for big bands, small ensembles, symphony orchestras as well as modern dance companies.

Nicholas Urie’s music has been heard internationally at festivals and concerts in Peru, Syria, Spain, England, Germany, Holland, Denmark and the United States. Nicholas’ music has been performed by: Bob Brookmeyer, Vince Mendoza, the Metropole Orchestra, the Turtle Island String Quartet, the Clazz Ensemble, the NDR, the Klüvers Big Band, A Far Cry chamber orchestra, Ximo Tebar/Granada Jazz Festival Big Band and the Berklee Chamber Orchestra, among others. Nicholas also composes for his own large Jazz Ensemble whose first record Excerpts From an Online Dating Service garnered critical acclaim from the international press.

“[Urie's] résumé establishes him as a wunderkind and this designation manifests on his big band event Excerpts From an Online Dating Service Excerpts is very well conceived. Jazz (or any genre, for that matter) has never seen such adaptation. Writing music to surround such difficult text is a feather in Urie’s cap. Making it so immediately accessible and entertaining is a mark of the young composer’s genius. Big band music has never veered so far from its swing roots as it does on this recording. Urie does not simply blow off the dust of the large jazz ensemble, he sandblasts it off with Uranium.“

– C. Michael Bailey, All About Jazz

Some bands I have written for in the last year:

Metropole Orchestra, Netherlands

Kluvers Big Band, Denmark

Clazz Ensemble, Netherlands

NDR, Germany

John McNeil Concert Jazz Orchestra, New York

A Far Cry chamber orchestra, Boston